Valparaiso-Based HealthLinc Honored for Efforts to Improve Quality of Life and Health Outcomes in Starke County

Healthlinc-Honored-Starke-CountyThe Indiana Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) recently awarded Valparaiso-based HealthLinc the Special Exemplary Project Award for their role in initiating Moving Starke County Forward "a health coalition working to improve the quality of life for Starke County residents by encouraging, creating, and advocating for a healthy Starke County."

"Moving Strake County Forward is emblematic of community groups coming together to focus not only on improving health outcomes, but also identifying the social determinants that lead to poor health," said Beth Wrobel, CEO of HealthLinc. "Addressing the social determinants that affect health, such as lack of early childhood and post graduate education, coordination of social services, minimal working skills and role models, will ultimately benefit the 23,000 residents who live in Starke County."

HealthLinc received a grant in 2011 from Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) to develop a health improvement plan for Starke County. The plan helped identify the social determinants facing the county.

"Starke County has some of the poorest health and social indicators in the state," said Sarah Hoshaw, director of corporate strategy at HealthLinc, and project manager for Moving Starke County Forward. "The county has consistently ranked as the last or near last in health outcomes and health factors out of all 92 counties in Indiana since 2011 according to the Robert Wood Johnson."

Through the plan's development process, HealthLinc and Better Healthcare for Indiana initiated community discussions and forums with representatives from a variety of groups, including religious, social, educational, and local government entities. The plan involved uniting leaders to raise health outcomes and improve health factors by identifying focus areas and grassroots projects.

In less than two years, the Moving Starke County Forward coalition convened a drug symposium with Attorney General Gregg Zoeller as the key note speaker, and sponsored a campaign, "Moving Starke County Across America." The campaign aimed to get Starke County residents moving, and set a goal of 3,000 miles. In two weeks, 269 residents broke the goal, logging miles for biking, running, and walking. To keep momentum, residents aspired to reach 25,000 miles through the "Moving Starke County Around the World" initiative. They achieved this with a collective total of over 27,426 miles.

"These accomplishments, especially in such a short period of time, proves that when a community understands their health issues and the social determinates that affect them and jointly develops an improvement plan, great things can happen," said Hoshaw. "HealthLinc is very proud to be a part of this collaborative effort with the community."

About the IPHCA Award
Each year, IPHCA honors one notable project by a member organization that has demonstrated excellence through advocacy, innovative initiatives, or collaborative efforts to reach the community. The Indiana Primary Health Care Association, Inc. (IPHCA), organized in 1982, IPHCA advocates for quality health care for all persons residing in Indiana and supports the development of community-oriented primary care initiatives.

About Moving Starke County Forward
Moving Starke County Forward is a coalition of community leaders in Starke County formed to encourage and facilitate initiatives that impact the following areas: healthy living; quality jobs and workforce development; education; community and social support; and the physical environment.