07 Mar 2017

Teaching Youth about Nutrition

By Be Healthy QC
School Wellness Update - Promoting the development and implementation of school wellness policies is one of the objectives in our
08 Mar 2016

Want to be recognized for the work your organization or business is doing?Take our Worksite Wellness Healthy Workplace Assessment here!

By Be Healthy QC

Be Healthy QC recently unveiled a new healthy workplace recognition program. Businesses that meet at least 10 of the 20 items on the assessment found at the link below will receive a letter and certificate of recognition for their worksite well...

06 Jan 2016

Move More and Feel Great!

By Be Healthy QC
With winter in full swing, we wanted to share some ideas for cold weather fun! It might seem hard to stay physically active when it's cold outside, but don't let the winter weather stop you.  There are many great ways to ha...
09 Dec 2015

Be Healthy QC Recognizes Ten New Local Workplaces for Encouraging Healthy Practices

By Be Healthy QC
The Be Healthy QC Worksite Wellness Workgroup of the Quad City Health Initiative (QCHI) is pleased to celebrate the first anniversary of its Be Healthy QC Workplace Recognition Program and identify the new organizations that have been recognized. This program was designed to highlight the work of local businesses and organizations and bring awareness to workplace wellness. By highlighting organizations that create a healthier workplace, the Be Healthy QC Worksite Wellness Workgroup strives to create an overall culture of health within the community. The latest organizations to receive recognition are Augustana College, the City of Bettendorf, the City of Davenport, Family Resources Inc., Pleasant Valley School District, QCR Holdings/Quad City Bank and Trust, Rock Valley Physical Therapy, U.P.S., U.S. Army Sustainment Command and the Waste Commission of Scott County. Since the program's inception in November of 2014, a total of 17 organizations have been recognized.

All organizations interested in applying for recognition are invited to complete the "Be Healthy QC: Creating a Healthy Workplace Assessment". The brief assessment identifies worksites in Rock Island and Scott Counties that are choosing to implement evidence based best practices promoting physical activity, nutrition, tobacco cessation and/or overall employee health and well-being. The assessment is intended to be completed by human resource or administrative staff at worksites in the Quad Cities. Instructions and the assessment can be found at www.qchealthinitiative.org under "Our Projects - Be Healthy QC Coalition".

The Be Healthy QC Coalition seeks to align all sectors of our bi-state community and work together on program, policy, systems and environmental changes in order to create a "culture of wellness" that supports healthy eating and active living.

This work is supported by the Quad City Health Initiative, a cross-sector partnership working to create a healthy community since 1999. The Quad City Health Initiative creates collaborative action on health and abides by the core values of commitment, collaboration and creativity. The Initiative seeks to be our community's recognized leader for creating collaborative action on health and abides by the core values of commitment, collaboration and creativity. Major financial support of the Quad City Health Initiative is currently provided by the generous direct and in-kind investments of Genesis Health System and UnityPoint Health-Trinity. Additional financial support is provided by Deere & Company, Mississippi Valley Health, KJWW Engineering Consultants, Davenport Eye Group, Modern Woodmen of America, Community Health Care, ILLOWA Construction and Labor Management Council, United Way of the Quad Cities Area, Hy-Vee, Inc., QCR Holdings, Inc., Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, Scott County Family Y, Scott County Health Department, and Rock Island County Health Department.

For more information, please call 563-421-2815 or visit our website at www.qchealthinitiative.org or www.behealthyqc.org.
05 Aug 2015

Safe Routes to School Planning

By Be Healthy QC
What is it?

According to the Safe Routes Partnership, Safe Routes to School is a national and international movement to create safe, convenient, and fun opportunities for children to bicycle and walk to and from school. The program was designed to reverse the decline in children walking and bicycling to schools. Safe Routes to School can also play a critical role in reversing the nationwide trend toward childhood obesity and inactivity.

In 1969, approximately 50 percent of children in the US walked or bicycled to school, with approximately 87 percent of children living within one mile of school walking or bicycling. Today, fewer than 15 percent of schoolchildren walk or bicycle to school. In 2009, US families drove 30 billion miles to take their children to and from school, at a cost of $5 billion in fuel. During the morning commute, driving to school represents 5-7 percent of miles driven and 10-14 percent of traffic on the road.

Safe Routes to School programs are built on collaborative partnerships that include educators, parent, students, elected officials, engineers, city planners and engineers, business and community leaders, health officials, and bicycle and pedestrian advocates. The most successful Safe Routes to School programs incorporate the Five E's: evaluation, education, encouragement, engineering and enforcement. The goal of Safe Routes to School is to get more children bicycling and walking to schools safely on a daily basis. This improves the built environment and increases opportunities for healthy physical activity for everyone.
Developing Safe Routes to Schools in the Quad Cities Area
As part of the Be Healthy QC project funded by the CDC, Bi-State Regional Commission has hired a Planner to focus on designing and implementing Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) programs with interested elementary schools in both Illinois and Iowa. The Planner will offer technical assistance to schools to ensure physical activity practices meet CDC or national standards by developing SRTS Travel guidelines that include identification of issues and mitigating solutions for walking and biking near schools in the Rock Island and Scott County school districts.  This objective will facilitate greater access to physical activity by involving the schools, parents and community to ensure connectivity to the schools for adjoining neighborhoods and will promote physical activity through school commuting.
Project Progress
The first three SRTS plans will be developed for Earl Hanson Elementary and Eugene Field Elementary schools in Rock Island, Illinois and Buffalo Elementary in Buffalo, Iowa.
Before classes were dismissed for the summer the SRTS Planner worked with school staff to collect student travel surveys and parent input surveys. During the summer break the Planner worked with local police departments, city halls and school administration to gather information in order to create profiles for the participating schools. These profiles will help the Planner identify areas where the schools can improve in education, encouragement, engineering and enforcement - the staples of an effective SRTS program.
Once school resumes, the Planner will issue a second round of surveys to both students and parents in order to begin tracking patterns and trends in the data. At this time he will also work with school administration to begin implementation of the SRTS plans he was busy drafting over the summer.
23 Mar 2015

Be Healthy QC Recognizes Local Organizations for Their Workplace Wellness Initiatives

By Be Healthy QC

The Be Healthy QC Worksite Wellness Workgroup of the Quad City Health Initiative (QCHI) is pleased to announce the launch of their Be Healthy QC Workplace Recognition Program and recognize an initial group of 8 organizations. This program was designed to highlight the work of local businesses and organizations and to bring awareness to workplace wellness. By recognizing organizations that create a healthier workplace, the Be Healthy QC Worksite Wellness Workgroup strives to create an overall culture of health within the community. Among the first organizations to receive recognition are Davenport Community Schools, Genesis Health System, MetroLINK, Royal Neighbors of America, Scott County, Scott County Family Y, Two Rivers YMCA and UnityPoint Health - Trinity.

All organizations interested in applying for recognition are invited to complete the "Be Healthy QC: Creating a Healthy Workplace Assessment". The brief assessment identifies worksites in Rock Island and Scott Counties that are choosing to implement evidenced-based best practices promoting physical activity, nutrition, tobacco cessation and/or overall employee health and well-being. The assessment is intended to be completed by human resource or administrative staff at worksites in the Quad Cities. Instructions and the assessment can be found at www.behealthyqc.org.

Be Healthy QC is a community wide effort to create a culture of health that supports healthy eating and active living. The Quad City Health Initiative is a cross-sector community partnership working to create a healthy community. A 25-member community Board oversees the organization, which was established in 1999. The Initiative seeks to be our community's recognized leader for creating collaborative action on health and abides by the core values of commitment, collaboration and creativity. Major financial support of the Quad City Health Initiative is currently provided by the generous direct and in-kind investments of Genesis Health System and UnityPoint Health-Trinity. Additional financial support over the last year has been provided by Deere & Company, Mississippi Valley Health, Davenport Eye Group, KJWW Engineering Consultants, Modern Woodmen of America, Palmer College of Chiropractic, First Midwest Bank, Russell Construction Company, Community Health Care Inc., ILLOWA Construction & Labor Management Council, United Way of the Quad Cities Area, Rock Island County Health Department, Scott County Health Department, IMC Construction Ltd., Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and Hy-Vee Inc.

For more information, please call 563-421-2815 or visit our website atwww.qchealthinitiative.org.

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

    

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Real Astrology and RCR Crossword every week?) 

Subscribe!

* indicates required

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.