Community Health Happenings from LiveWell Shawnee County
LiveWell Shawnee County* has had a busy end to the fall. Here are some of their highlights of their ongoing efforts to create a heathier Shawnee County.
- We kicked off the release of the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) on November 13 at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. The event encouraged collaboration among workgroup chairs and representatives from organizations leading work related to the priority areas that will be written into the next Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). Attendees learned about the CHNA findings and then worked on starting the goal writing process for the next CHIP iteration. WIBW story: https://www.wibw.com/2024/11/13/county-health-leaders-turn-priorities-into-plans-with-chna-data/ .
See the 2024 CHNA results and other community health planning documents at https://www.stormontvail.org/we-are-stormont/community-connection/community-health-planning/. - We attended the Kansas Food Action Network Food Secure Communities summit on November 7 and 8 in Wichita. We did a deep dive in food assistance programs, received training on how to talk about data with the community, and visited with other Kansas communities a part of the initiative. Savanna Gaumer from Stormont Vail Health attended as a coalition guest. LiveWell Shawnee County is one of only eight Kansas health and wellness coalitions selected as inaugural members of the Food Secure Communities Initiative.
Learn more about the Food Secure Communities Initiative, "which aims to end hunger in Kansas by addressing the policy, systems and environmental barriers to food security, also known as 'root causes' " at https://www.kchealthykids.org/news/kansas-food-action-network-engages-local-communities-to-address-root-causes-of-food-insecurity. - Friday, December 6 is the last day to register for the 2025 LiveWell Shawnee County Annual Action Summit on Friday, December 13 from 9 - 1 at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. Attendees will hear from an engaging speaker, learn about the CHNA findings, and set goals for their work on the coalition in 2025. Registration is open on the website: https://www.livewellsnco.org/action-summit.
* United Way of Kaw Valley hosts and houses the Executive Director of LiveWell Shawnee County, Sarah Karns. The CHNA and resulting CHIP help focus UWKV's Shawnee County impact grants and collaborative priorities.