(upbeat music)
- The main mission of ALProHealth is to reduce
and decrease obesity in Alabama.
We have 14 counties that are high risk in terms
of adult obesity and that means that they have
40 percent or more adult obesity.
And so, through a grant with The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention to the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service
through Auburn University, we work with
evidence-based strategies to reduce
the incidence of obesity.
ALProHealth works with 14 communities in Alabama
through a really neat mechanism,
it's all grassroots-driven and it's done by
coalition members working together to identify
issues that they have in their county
and then what strategies they want to use to implement
and to make the reduction in obesity.
What's kind of unique about it is that
they're all 14 rural communities.
So, a lot of the evidence-based strategies
have not really been done in rural communities,
they're typically done in urban areas.
So, it's a really unique trial
that we have going on in Alabama.
- ALProHealth has worked with 14 counties
to look at initiatives to address for
its food access and physical activity.
Some of those activities that we have addressed have been
things like working to enhance existing parks.
We have also looked at enhancing food banks,
making food healthier in some of the food pantries.
We also have established existing farmers market
or even have put in place farmers markets
in some of the 14 counties, so we are striving
to make food more accessible, affordable,
and healthier for people to have a place to exercise
and be able to partake in family engagement activities.
ALProHealth encourages their counties to participate
by making sure that we have
movers and shakers at the table, what I mean by that,
community leaders are community representatives
from each of the communities.
Those community leaders are invited
to be engaged in workshops, trainings, and so forth
and with that in part, we try to make sure
each community has a face at the table
to make sure those initiatives are addressed.
So, we try to engage everyone from community leaders
to city leaders to civic groups, faith-based organizations,
anyone who is willing to be involved.
- ALProHealth has affected the city of Eufaula
by providing funding that has created
these wonderful opportunities for our citizens
to get out, spend quality time with their family,
and get some great exercise.
Some of the great projects that they've worked on
is our Playground of Dreams, they're also
working on a new splash pad, our farmers market program
has been excellent.
Hopefully there'll be more funding
so we can work on more projects that
help our community and county.
- ALProHealth has helped the community gardens
by being the vital piece to start the community gardens.
Community and school gardens are crucial
to a healthy community.
- School gardens are important,
especially to teach our youth about farming.
Over the years we've kind of lost that
and this way, it shows them hands-on
where the food comes from, how it's grown.
Students in the community and their parents
give community hours by helping plant, harvest.
ALProHealth has really helped school gardens,
community gardens by funding, partnering with extensions
really helps out because we have a lot of people
that's experts and they can kind of help us out,
as far as what to plant, when to plant,
what diseases to treat of the plant,
and they have that expertise that can really help us out.
- The Cooperative Extension is a national program
sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture.
There's probably a county extension office
located in every single county in the United States.
Our goal is to improve the quality of life of citizens
through education and other types of initiatives.
- [Lorena] Extension has all the resources to
reach the community and all the professionals needed to
small communities, like this one,
to make communities stronger.
(bright music)
- [Sharon] ALProHealth has really come along
and made the counties in Alabama,
I just won't say the counties,
the State of Alabama, a better place to live.
We have really addressed a lot of initiatives
that some agencies have not been able to tackle
but, through our agency, we have been able to do that.
And along those lines, we're gonna take
one strategy at a time and continue to work towards the goal
and that is to have Alabama not in
the top percentile for obesity.
- The future is bright for ALProHealth.
It's really neat to see all
these pockets of change going on in Alabama.
And, you know, some day, all these changes,
these pockets, they're slowly gonna bleed together
and our whole culture is gonna be a healthier culture
and we're gonna live well in Alabama.
(bright, cheerful music)