SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Janesville awards 2018 community grants

JANESVILLE — SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Janesville is pleased to announce its support for three, new, non-profit projects designed to encourage people throughout our community to make healthy lifestyle choices in an effort to reduce dangerous obesity rates and improve the overall health of Rock County residents.

“Our SSM Health Mission to provide exceptional healthcare services extends beyond our Janesville medical campus. We are committed to collaborating with our neighbors to reduce serious health problems like diabetes, stroke, heart and respiratory diseases in our community,” says Ben Layman, St. Mary’s Hospital-Janesville President. “SSM Health is proud to fund these exciting new partnerships across Rock County to engage our communities in innovative ways to strengthen their knowledge and commitment to good health practices for life.”

The grant recipients will be honored at a reception at 1 pm on Monday, March 5 at the hospital. Each grant recipient will receive up to $5,000 to fund their new efforts to improve healthy living behaviors of men, women and children in Rock County. SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Janesville will award grants to these organizations:

Boys & Girls Club of Janesville will receive a grant to adopt a nationally-developed, evidence-based youth health and wellness program, Triple Play, that increases daily physical activity, teaches good nutrition and helps to develop healthy relationships among youngsters in Janesville.

CESA 2 – Birth to 3 Program, in an effort to reduce childhood obesity rates, will receive a grant to launch a new camp program called Twist, Shout and Snack-it-Out for preschoolers and their parents in partnership with Nutrition and Health Associates. By weaving exercise and healthy snack preparation into play time, the program is designed to expose families to the value of encouraging a healthy lifestyle early in life.

Edgerton Public Library will receive a grant for a new bicycling-themed wellness program, Get Recharged at Your Library!, that will promote community bicycling and area trails, a “Bike to the Library” event and an on-site, pedal-powered station for digital phone and tablet charging to enhance patrons’ appreciation for the important role that regular exercise plays in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

In order to be eligible for the grant program, interested organizations had to be registered as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit in Rock County, and submit a proposal focused on improving health outcomes in one of the hospital’s three priority health areas – smoking reduction/cessation, promotion of healthy living to reduce obesity or fall prevention among older citizens.

Rock County consistently ranks among the lowest in Wisconsin for poor health outcomes in many areas of physical health, including; smoking, obesity and deaths from falls among older adults. The hospital committed to improving outcomes in these three, priority areas after an extensive community health needs assessment which involved: interviews with key health officials, community surveys and evaluation of health-related information specific to Rock County provided by the Healthy Communities Institute.