[slideshow_deploy id=’53686′]
By: Erin Smith
The Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce heard from Travis Greer who serves as the Regional Worksite Faith Coordinator with the Robeson County Department of Public Health.
Greer told the group that he serves a nine county region through a Obesity, Heart Disease, Diabetes and Stroke grant. The nine county region includes Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender, Sampson, Duplin, and Onslow counties. The mission of the program is to bring people together and develop strategies for living healthier. Greer said that the regional grant program attempts to help companies develop healthier work environments through developing and encouraging healthier habits in the work place.
“We are trying to serve this region as a whole by working with and through the health departments and cooperative extension,” said Greer.
He added that the goal is to recruit and identify worksites that want to learn about worksite health and wellness and how they can improve the health and wellness of their employees.
Greer shared an analogy with the group from the children’s book, The Hungry Caterpillar.
Greer said shared the story of the caterpillar as it grew. He told the group that the caterpillar was hungry and so each day he would eat. Greer said every day the caterpillar was still hungry and so he ate fruits and vegetables. Greer said that by the fifth day, the caterpillar was so hungry he decided instead to eat junk food and he got sick because he blew his diet.
Greer told the group that the purpose fo the analogy is to show that healthy lifestyles are a lifelong habit.
“Sometimes we go through a period where we are not very healthy (with our lifestyle choices),” said Greer.
He said that one tool that utilizes to help work sites assess the health of their workplace is the CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard. The CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard asks specific questions as to such issues as access to physical activity, do your employees know about the symptoms of heart attacks and strokes, do they understand such things risk factors for developing diabetes.
Greer said one thing the grant program can do is to provide education to employees about diabetes and diabetes prevention.
He said once the scorecard is completed, the company will choose the items they want to improve on and work towards those goals.
“We can meet with you and offer assistance to help you reach your goals,” said Greer.
Greer can be reached by calling 910-842-7315.
In other business:
*The White Lake Water Festival is planned for May 20-21.
* The Chamber Ambassador Program is still accepting applications. Those applications can be picked up from the Chamber office.
*June 21 is the annual Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Invitations will be going out in the mail.
*The young Men’s Academy at Elizabethtown Middle School invited members fo the Chamber to come and line the halls of Elizabethtown Middle School to applaud and cheer on the young men who will be graduating form the program this year.
About Author
