New coalitions to address safe and healthy children, workforce development
ABOVE: Nita Wilkinson of Green Hills Community speaks with Ben Vollrath, incoming director of the Logan County Chamber of Commerce, during a Wednesday morning meeting to discuss the results of the 2018 Community Needs Assessment. ALSO PICTURED IN THURSDAY’S EXAMINER: Ashley Logan of Community Health and Wellness Partners of Logan County fills out her coalition’s priorities during the breakout groups. (EXAMINER PHOTOS | REUBEN MEES)
Local leaders been busy in recent years managing five coalitions to combat drug addiction, unhealthy lifestyles, homelessness, suicide and lack of access to resources.
Responding to a “call to action,” the group decided to form two additional multi-agency workgroups to tackle the broad spectrum of issues affecting youths and to address workforce development.
“Seven coalitions may be a bit hard for a community this size to bite off, but you have been handling five very well,” Pat Galdeen of Epiphany Community Services said during the Wednesday morning meeting, which was conducted to officially unveil the results of the third Community Needs Assessment.
The assessments are conducted at three-year intervals by Mary Rutan Hospital and the Mary Rutan Foundation, the Logan County Health District, United Way of Logan County, Community Health and Wellness Partners of Logan County and the MHDAS Board of Logan and Champaign Counties.
Previous assessments resulted in the formation of the Community Coalition for Opiate Relief Efforts — or CORE; Healthy Living Coalition; Continuum of Care; Suicide Prevention Coalition; and Access Resource Coalition.
Respondents included approximately 1,300 individuals who returned surveys, focus groups of Amish families, teenagers and young adults, and interviews with a cross section of 34 local professionals.
While the problems associated with drug abuse, adult obesity and mental health issues continue to be of high concern to local residents, this year’s survey also pointed to a number of issues relating to youths — specifically, child abuse, domestic violence, childhood obesity and underage drinking, Galdeen said.
This year’s group also identified lack of access to basic workforce skills and the soft skills necessary to enter the workforce.
In response to that, the group opted to form two new coalitions, loosely referred to as the Safe and Healthy Children and Workforce Development coalitions.
Approximately 60 to 70 people who stayed for the second half of the call to action workshop broke into smaller groups to discuss strategies of the individual coalitions.
Read complete story in Thursday’s Examiner.
CLICK HERE to subscribe today!
WEB EDITION STARTING AT $9.50 FOR 5 WEEKS!