LiveWell Weld

The Weld County LiveWell initiative will expand on the experiences and successes related to chronic disease prevention during the past five years (2003-2008) through the Steps to a Healthier Weld County federal grant.

Four environments (community, school, worksite, and health care provider) will continue to be the focus of risk reduction messages about better nutrition and increasing physical activity to targeted populations. While Steps may have had some impact on rates of obesity and physical activity, there is more work that needs to be done.

Steps was a non-competitive grant which enabled Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment to collect (weighted) local data through BRFSS and YRBS. Accurate and pertinent data from several other local data sources {i.e., 2007 Community Health Survey (CHS) and the Child Health Survey} helped focus the action plans so as to address inequities in health status in geographic specific pockets throughout Weld County. This LiveWell grant is written strategically to continue to promote the established shared vision of a healthier Weld County using this wealth of data. Objectives are more defined and more focused because the CHS documented pockets of need among several underserved target populations geographically. Weld County LiveWell will build on the Step’s infrastructure which resulted in important policy and environmental changes.         

There have been many indicators of success over the past five years with the strategies that are being proposed. Most of these strategies and objectives are interrelated since what was learned through formal evaluations over the course of the Steps grant led to opportunities for improvement, including efficiencies to leverage scarce resources. The progress and the success of all of the Steps initiatives were a direct result of relationships and partnerships that were nurtured in coalitions and work groups. In communities such as Weld County, it is important to understand that the successes were not a series of silo projects, but a complex tapestry of interrelated partners and projects representing an investment in the health of Weld County’s communities by dedicated residents and organizations.

The Weld County LiveWell Initiative will focus on four strategic Steps successes to drive policy and environmental changes in this community:
1. Active Community Environment  (ACE) policy work.
2. Community education, access to better nutrition, and opportunities for physical activity.
3. Integration of health and wellness into childhood education and recreation systems.
4. Creation of environments and advancement of policies that support healthy behaviors in worksites, restaurants and faith-based organizations.

The LiveWell Weld County initiative is coordinated through The Weld County Department or Public Health and Environment in Greeley, Colorado.

Contact Information
Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment
Bobbie Puckett
970.304.6470, x2381
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