Healthy Communities
In order to address health concerns on a community level, residents and organizations have been coming together to form local Community Health Coalitions. These coalitions can be a means of conserving and utilizing resources more efficiently, and a powerful vehicle for impacting health through policy, systems, and environmental changes.
Purdue Extension is a partner in local health coalitions. For over 15 years, through the work of the Purdue Extension Coalition Engagement Team, Extension Educators, Community Wellness Coordinators (CWCs), and others have gained skills and support to elevate the work with their local coalitions.
Information is collected annually related to the work of coalitions across the state. An interactive map has been created that shows up to three coalitions in the county, their focus, and their status as of the time of the information. When there is staff transition, some counties may not have data for a year.
2023 Coalitions Reported by Purdue Extension
Resources
Learn more about how to build a coalition – Building a Coalition: Investing in Health
With our partners in Connections IN Health (anchor to below), a series created to help those in communities determine their readiness for educational and programmatic efforts and initiatives.
The Purdue Extension Coalition Engagement Team has offered a variety of professional development opportunities over the years. Below is a four-part series focusing on how you can assess Community Readiness in your coalitions, partnerships, and communities. It may be readiness to engage in a new health focus, reinvigorate a stagnant one, or even assess if a group is ready to engage in certain programming. Community readiness is the degree to which a community is willing and prepared to take action on an issue. Levels range from no awareness to full community ownership.
Partners at Connections IN Health (Indiana CTSI) and Purdue Extension Community Development have utilized this model and led this series. The series overviews community readiness, details on how to assess it, how you utilize the information, and how you share it in the community to help them move forward. The series was published in January and February of 2022.
Further resources can be found through Coalition Trip, a collaborative website hosted by our partners at the Indiana CTSI Community Health Partnerships.
Community Health Partnerships (CHeP) of the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) aims to link the experience and skills of community leaders, health professionals, and university researchers to improve the health of Indiana citizens. Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Notre Dame along with other universities across the state are collaborating to engage Indiana communities and citizens as partners in the research process to achieve the goal of a healthier state. With the advice and participation of community leaders, CHeP seeks to provide better ways to conduct and disseminate research about health to Indiana’s communities and citizens. Purdue Extension is a crucial partner in this statewide work. expands the reach of CHeP to be statewide in scope.
- Approximately 20 Purdue Extension Educators are cost-shared as part of the Indiana CTSI CHeP partnership. These educators are connected with health partnerships and/or health coalitions in their communities. CHeP cost-shared educators reported that due to Purdue Extension efforts in 2021-2022, 232 agencies and partners were directly influenced to improve health. In addition, 65 new community-university partnerships were developed or created. Purdue Extension Educators have served as members of the CHeP Trailblazer grant review team since 2015.
- An initiative named Connections in Health began in 2019 and is in strong partnership with Purdue Extension. Funded by the Indiana Department of Health includes CHeP has contracted with IDOH to oversee its the following statewide chronic health disease coalitions. These include: CADI (Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Stroke Coalition of IN), HHWA (Hoosier Health and Wellness Alliance), INJAC (Indiana Joint Asthma Coalition). Purdue Extension professionals have been key members of subcommittees and initiatives of each of these coalitions.
- The Connections in Health team provides many opportunities for partnership and coalition training. As of 2024, Purdue Extension professionals in Grant, Vermillion, Blackford, Washington, Lake and Madison counties have worked closely with CINH. Starke and Jennings counties are gearing up for their work. 10 Indiana counties have been involved. The current focus is now on Public Health Areas 1 and 7.
Well Connected Communities was a national well-being initiative of the Cooperative Extension System in partnership with National 4-H Council and support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)
Purdue participated in Wave One (2017-19) in Fayette, Gibson and Scott counties. Funding was received for Wave Two (2019-2021) in Fayette, Greene and Scott counties and for Wave Three (2021-23) in Greene County. Funding has been received for Wave Three which focuses on Greene County. This work is now included in the Collective for Health Equity and Well-Being
Purdue participated in Wave One (2017-19) in Fayette, Gibson and Scott counties. Funding was received for Wave Two (2019-2021) in Fayette, Greene and Scott counties and for Wave Three (2021-23) in Greene County. Funding has been received for Wave Three which focuses on Greene County. This work is now included in the Collective for Health Equity and Well-Being.
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES SUCCESS STORIES
Learn how our communities are making the change toward a healthy community.
Fayette County - A path toward health, One step at a time
Fayette County - A Path Toward Health, One Step at a Time Fifty years ago, astronaut Neil Armstrong walked as the first man on the moon with his epic quote “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Youth in Connersville, IN used that as the launching pad for the first-ever “Daylight Moonwalk” in their community, drawing a giant response of 128 citizens who turned out to take a walking break despite a rainy day
HEALTHY COMMUNITY ALLIANCE
An enhancement project for the Blackford Greenway in Hartford City is underway. The effort involves multiple Healthy Community Alliance Partners including Indiana University Health Blackford Hospital, Blackford Greenway, Purdue Extension, Blackford Community Schools, and the Hartford City Public Library.
Jackson County HEALTHIER TOGETHER
In 2012, Jackson County had one of the highest rates of obesity in the state. the Healthy Jackson County Coalition aimed to utilize and enhance existing resources within the community to help people from all backgrounds, ages, and abilities take steps to improve their health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supported the coalition to help meet this goal.
Live well Lawrence County
In 2012, Lawrence County had one of the highest rates of obesity in the state. Considering these challenges, the Live Well Lawrence Coalition aimed to utilize and enhance existing resources within the community to help get people from all backgrounds, ages, and abilities to take steps to improve their health.
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