Partners for Healthy Families

Community Collaboration
Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, Joliet, IL

Guiding Principle: Capacity Building Partnerships

THE RESULTS OF A 2006 UNITED WAY OF WILL COUNTY needs assessment were startling: obesity was found to be one of the three greatest health threats facing children in the Will County area. The assessment further indicated a variety of factors likely contributed to the crisis, including a lack of education on the impact of an unhealthy lifestyle beginning in childhood. Local community leaders and experts knew they could not sit idly by, and in June 2007, spurred by a donation from Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, the Joliet Partners for Healthy Families (JPHF) was born.

JPHF, a partnership which includes the Medical Center, the Joliet District 86 Schools, the Joliet Park District, the Harvey Brooks Foundation and the University of Illinois extension, seeks to enhance the quality of life for all ages, abilities and ethnic backgrounds through good nutrition and physical activity.

To quickly maximize their impact, the group set a series of short term goals that included increasing healthy nutrition and exercise among children, enhancing equipment at after-school programs, and improving family participation at health events.

“We live in a world now where more parents are working longer hours and don't feel comfortable letting their children play alone outside after school, while at the same time, television and video games compete for kids' attention,” says Laura Barr, nutritionist from University of Illinois extension. “Our partnership focuses on giving families healthy alternatives -- games and exercise coupled with nutrition education -- with the goal of teaching simple changes children and their families can make to lead healthier lives.”

JPHF officially launched their efforts in September 2007 at the Worldwide Day of Play, a Nickelodeon™ sponsored national event that encourages children to play. Over 500 Joliet District 86 children and their parents enjoyed the day participating in physical activities, eating healthy snacks and learning tips on the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

On the heels of their success, JPHF leaders immediately turned their attention toward more ways the partnership could impact area youth, setting longer term goals that included improved health in adolescence, reduced diabetes diagnoses in children, reduced weight and increased strength among participants. The partnership has evolved to feature two main components: Camp Fitness, a twice a week afterschool program for third graders from three District 86 schools featuring fun workouts and nutrition education; and Parent Workshops, programs geared for the parents and caregivers of the participating school children to provide
education about nutrition and exercise for the whole family.

“We chose the third graders for the pilot program because we felt they were at an ideal age,” says Julie Edwards, Regional Manager for Community Benefit Initiatives for the Provena Southwest Suburban Region, which includes Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center. “They’re young enough to eagerly participate in the new after-school program but also old enough to learn the new behaviors and implement them on their own.”

Camp Fitness activities include games that promote running for fun, circuit training, the President’s Physical Fitness Challenge, agility drills and the challenge to create their own game. Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center provided all participating students with healthy snacks, new tennis shoes, t-shirts and pedometers, while District 86 donated gym bags, water bottles and cookbooks. The program operates in the gyms of three District 86 elementary schools and includes free transportation home for all participants.

Parents’ workshops provide important information about the benefits of eating healthy and maintaining an active lifestyle. Specifically, parents learn about fun and unique ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into their children's diets, the importance of calcium and the relevance of nutrition and ingredient labels.

“The combination of education and health care expertise makes this free program a very rich experience for our students and their families,” says District 86 spokesperson Deborah Carter. “It’s a great way for our students to spend quality, after-school time, and take away information and experience that they can use throughout their lives.”

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