by Michelle | Oct 5, 2023 | Being Well, Featured, Work Well
To promote the well-being and growth of children, access to regular physical activity is essential. Over the past three years, Tillamook County Wellness’ Health Promotions Committee has been offering fun, physical activity programs designed to introduce families to local outdoor recreational opportunities. Where participants qualify for exciting prize drawings.
Historically, we’ve collaborated with schools, local libraries, the Oregon Food Bank, and various community partners to promote these activities. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’ve been able to incentivize participation through rewarding prizes.
Tillamook County Wellness would like to encourage more family participation, especially among families with children aged 0-17 years. Since younger children might not have the means or easy access to parks and other physical activity locations on their own, they depend on older family members for transportation and motivation. This realization has led us to develop a more deliberate strategy for engaging families in 2024.
We plan to identify and acquire participation prizes that are specifically appealing to families. The Kiwanis Community Giving Award Funds will play a crucial role in enabling us to achieve this goal.
Tillamook County Wellness extends its heartfelt gratitude to be the recipients of the Kiwanis Community Giving Fund. Their support is invaluable in helping us achieve our mission of promoting health and well-being in our community to young children in Tillamook County.
Picture of: Janeane Krongos of Tillamook Family Counseling Center and Ron Rush of Tillamook Kiwanis Club
Tillamook County Wellness is a community-driven initiative with a primary focus on reducing the risk of chronic diseases by promoting healthy behaviors from an early age. We believe that by making healthy choices more accessible and enjoyable, we can cultivate thriving and vibrant communities.
by Guest | Feb 24, 2021 | Being Well
Photo Caption: Rinehart Clinic’s Art of Eating class participants touring Moon River Farm in Nehalem
At Rinehart Clinic in Wheeler, Oregon, we have learned that helping our patients take a broad and interactive approach to wellness makes a big difference. Combining a supportive environment with tools for health, such as fresh food (and free classes), leads to group and individual successes. The Rinehart Clinic understands success looks different for each person and so must our educational offerings!
What started four years ago as a summer-long veggie class transformed into a comprehensive effort to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and now has grown into a broader Community Wellness program. Many of our participants see multiple health benefits from lowered A1C, lower blood pressure, healthier eating habits, weight loss, and even improved mood.
By offering a wide range of classes – from nutritional education to movement and mindfulness – our goal is to offer something for everyone. We place an emphasis on creating supportive group classes and helping make it easier for people to have access to healthy foods and exercise. The classes often can create social networks, which we know play just as important of a role in health and wellness as recorded screening numbers.
Each year, we try new approaches and check in with our participants to see what they are interested in learning. Their input has helped our Community Wellness program evolve and grow.
Here is a sampling of the Community Wellness classes and workshops we have held over the past four years:
- Mindfulness Meditation, taught by one of our social workers, focusing on mindful approaches to eating, managing stress, and more;
- Blood Sugar & Nutrition, taught by our Certified Diabetes Educator;
- Intro to Fasting, taught by our Naturopathic Physician, covering the health benefits of fasting;
- our ever-popular Art of Eating, a hands-on class showcasing local farm-fresh vegetables, recipe sharing, and encouragement for healthy eating habits.
Over the past year, as the pandemic unfolded, it changed how we hold our classes as we moved to Zoom. In 2021, our hope is to continue Zoom offerings and eventually be able to offer some classes in person again (when we can safely do so).
These group classes are a critical part of Rinehart Clinic’s Community Wellness program, and thanks to grant funding and great community partners, we are also able to pair the classes with healthy foods. For instance, our Art of Eating participants not only get to sample and learn ways to cook fresh vegetables during class, but they also get a big bag of farm-fresh produce from Nehalem’s Moon River Farm to take home each week. And (depending on the season), some class participants receive vouchers they can use to buy healthy foods at the Manzanita Farmers Market or the Manzanita Grocery & Deli (the Little Apple).
As another addition to the program in early 2020, we started the Prescription for Exercise Program, partnering with the North County Recreation District (NCRD). As part of primary care appointments, providers could write prescriptions for exercise with patients receiving a 10-visit pass for swim or fitness. We hired a Wellness Navigator, Alisa, to help coordinate first steps into NCRD. We saw a lot of positive results, have a solid partnership in place and will look to resume this program later in 2021 as we adjust to these changing times.
We appreciate all our partners who make this Wellness Program possible–Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization, Manzanita Farmers Market, Manzanita Grocery & Deli, Moon River Farm, and North County Recreation District. We are also fortunate to have a staff team whose varied backgrounds and interests allow us to offer such a range of classes. And lastly, the success is not possible without those in the community who participate and share this experience and wellness journey with us!
During 2021, we will continue many of our popular classes. And NEW, coming in March: a book study/discussion group called “How to Be Sick” led by Sara, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, focused on mindfulness, particularly for those facing chronic health conditions.
To register for classes or learn more about Rinehart Clinic & Pharmacy, visit our website, Facebook page, or sign up for our monthly newsletter.
AUTHOR: Denise Weiss, Registered Nurse and Quality Director at Rinehart Clinic
For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
by Guest | Jan 4, 2021 | Being Well
In 2014, Bill Baertlein, local accountant and civic leader, began floating an idea to do something fun to get people moving in a healthier direction. It didn’t take long for that simple concept to become a county-wide initiative, now known as Tillamook County Wellness (TCW). As Bill Baertlein ends his service as County Commissioner, we celebrate how he has helped Tillamook County become a healthier place to live, work, and play.
Bill launched the 2016 Year of Wellness with a rallying cry of “YOW!” and an impressive display of hula-hooping. He even challenged other County Commissioners in the state to follow suit; something many of them did but with a bit less flare. During that first year, 900 people participated in the team based “YOW Challenge” to make small changes to their daily health habits. Suddenly eating a few more vegetables or walking a few more minutes each day wasn’t work but something fun we could all do together. That was, and still is, Bill’s vision, who always said, “It has to be fun! If it becomes a fun-sucker, no one will want to do it.” And, boy was he right. Bill’s leadership and commitment to a positive and innovative approach to improving population health make him the Wow of YOW.
Tillamook County is known for being a tight-knit community, where people and organizations work together to get things done. YOW presented a purpose-driven opportunity to work together to tackle the big challenge of chronic disease, especially type 2 diabetes. Thanks to strong political will and the financial backbone of Tillamook County Community Health Center (no county tax funding supports this work), Tillamook County Wellness has exceeded everyone’s expectations. As of 2020, Tillamook County is ranked 10th healthiest county in Oregon, a steep rise from 26th place in 2015.
The TCW framework is designed to not only help individuals with their daily choices but, most importantly, to serve as a hub for collaborative solutions that help make the healthier choices the easier choices for everyone. By pooling resources and working together strategically to strengthen existing work, we are building vital relationships and a shared understanding of what it takes to help all people thrive. Some examples include:
- Tobacco-free spaces
- Community and workplace-based health screenings
- Mobile health and dental care
- Web-based platform for community resource referrals – coming soon!
- Detailed, web-based maps of all county trails and outdoor recreation facilities – coming soon!
- Volunteer led walking groups
- Workplace wellness activities
- Food box deliveries
- Lifestyle coaching through National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)
- Information hub for getting connected to fitness, cooking, gardening, volunteering and more at www.tillamookcountywellness.org
This work only works because of the commitment and support of leaders like Bill Baertlein. As he steps down, he passes the baton to Mary Faith Bell, who will be the new Commissioner liaison for Tillamook County Wellness. We welcome Commissioner Bell and are excited to bring her experience and passions to this work.
As we enter a new year, we hope you will consider ways you can support your own health as well as that of your family, friends and co-workers. Taking small steps that are easy and fun (and definitely not fun-sucking!) are the key to better well-being. For more local health and wellness information, follow Tillamook County Wellness on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Tillamook County Wellness relies on community involvement. If you are interested in donating your time, treasure or talents, please contact us at info@tillamookcountywellness.org or (503)815-2285.
AUTHOR: Michelle Jenck, Adventist Health Director of Community Well-Being
Tillamook County Wellness is a program of Tillamook County Public Health. Through a partnership agreement, coordination of Tillamook County Wellness is funded by Adventist Health Tillamook.
