We are pleased to announce a unique partnership that increases support for Tillamook County Wellness and other collaborative community health improvement efforts. At a system level, Adventist Health has created a Community Well-Being Division and has acquired Blue Zones, a global approach for helping people live longer, better lives. These investments are part of Adventist Health’s commitment to inspiring health, wholeness and hope in the communities they serve, including Tillamook County.
The exciting news is that the Blue Zones initiative shares the same strategic approach as Tillamook County Wellness – to work together across sectors to shape policies, systems, environments and culture to improve individual and community well-being. According to the CDC, about 70% of our health and longevity is influenced by the environments where we live, work, learn, play and age. Those environments and our community cultures also influence our habits, for better or worse. By strategically investing our collective energies to shape these environments, systems and cultures, we can do a lot more to reach our goals of improving health and quality of life for everyone.
As part of this new investment, the role of director of Community Well-Being has been created for each of the communities in which Adventist Health is a partner. With Tillamook County Wellness already in place, this presented a truly unique opportunity. As directed by the Board of County Commissioners, Tillamook County Public Health serves as the “backbone” for the Wellness initiative. Since it began in 2015, Michelle Jenck has served as Coordinator, working with the Wellness backbone. With this alignment in place, Michelle Jenck has been selected to serve as Adventist Health’s Community Well-Being director for Tillamook County; and, through a partnership agreement, Michelle will continue to provide overall coordination of Tillamook County Wellness. In both roles, she will continue to serve as a connector for and among community partners in key areas impacting individual and community health.
“This level of collaboration is something that we have hoped for since the start of Tillamook County Wellness. We are optimistic this new position and partnership will inspire other community partners to consider how they can invest resources to collaborate further in ways that support health in Tillamook,” said Marlene Putman, Tillamook County Public Health Administrator and Director of Tillamook County Community Health Centers.
Eric Swanson, President of Adventist Health Tillamook agrees. “My vision is for Adventist Health to be a trusted partner in our communities. I believe the new director of community well-being demonstrates Adventist Health’s commitment to stand alongside our partners in public health and in the larger community to bring health, wholeness and hope to the communities we serve.”
Michelle holds a Master of Education in Health and Kinesiology, as well as certifications in behavior change and weight management coaching. She has worked as a fitness instructor in multiple disciplines for over 20 years, also serving as a governing board member for Adventist Health Tillamook since 2006. She is a passionate advocate for community health, social responsibility and early childhood development. “I’m humbled and honored to be selected for this role. This is more than a job for me. It’s a passion project. We’ve built a lot of momentum and this new partnership just really ups our game. I can’t wait to see what we can do together” said Michelle.
If you are interested in learning more about Tillamook County Wellness or how you can get involved in making your community a better place to live, work, learn, play and age, contact Michelle at jenckmd@ah.org or visit our partner websites: Tillamook County Community Health Centers, Adventist Health Tillamook, and Tillamook County Wellness.