Community Health Action Plan 2012
Designed to address Community Health Assessment priorities
County: Appalachian District (Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga Counties)
Partnership, if applicable: Alleghany Health Partnership, Ashe Health Alliance, and High Country Vision Council
(Watauga)
Period Covered: July 1, 2012-June 30, 2014
LOCAL PRIORITY ISSUE

Priority issue: Obesity

Was this issue identified as a priority in your county’s most recent CHA? _X_ Yes __ No
LOCAL COMMUNITY OBJECTIVE Please check one: _X_ New
__ Ongoing (was addressed in previous Action Plan)

By (year): 2014

Objective (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-lined change in health status of population) :
By June 30, 2014, decrease the number of adults who are overweight or obese by 2%.

Original Baseline: 64% overweight or obese

Date and source of original baseline data: 2009 BRFSS

Updated information (For continuing objective only):

Date and source of updated information:
POPULATION(S)

Describe the local population(s) experiencing disparities related to this local community objective:
o Low income populations are at increased risk for lower physical activity and poor nutrition

Total number of persons in the local disparity population(s):

Number you plan to reach with the interventions in this action plan: 10% total population (8951) or more (varying
depending on intervention)
HEALTHY NC 2020 FOCUS AREA ADDRESSED
__ Tobacco Use
__ Physical Activity and Nutrition
__ Substance Abuse
__ STDs/Unintended Pregnancy
__ Environmental Health

__ Social Determinants of Health
(Poverty, Education, Housing)
__ Maternal and Infant Health
__ Injury
__ Mental Health
__ Oral Health
__ Infectious Diseases/
Food-Borne Illness
__ Chronic Disease (Diabetes,
Colorectal Cancer,
Cardiovascular Disease)
_X_ Cross-cutting (Life Expectancy,
Uninsured, Adult Obesity)
Check one Healthy NC 2020 focus area: (Which objective below most closely aligns with your local community objective?)

List HEALTHY NC 2020 Objective:
Increase the percentage of adults who are neither overweight nor obese (from 34.9% to 38.1%)

(Detailed information can be found at http://publichealth.nc.gov/hnc2020/ website)
RESEARCH RE. WHAT HAS WORKED ELSEWHERE*
List the 3-5 evidence-based interventions (proven to effectively address this priority issue) that seem the most suitable for
your community and/or target group. *Training and information are available from DPH. Contact your regional consultant
about how to access them.
Intervention
Community scale design and land use policies
Enhanced access to facilities for physical
activity
Enhanced farmers markets, farm stands, and/or
local healthy food outlets
Describe the evidence of effectiveness
(type of evaluation, outcomes)
Increase green space, provide safe
opportunities for physical activity, plan
land use for health
Provides increased opportunity for
physical activity
Increased number of options to obtain
affordable, high quality fruits and
vegetables
Source
The Community Guide
The Community Guide
Promising practice, needs more research to
be evidence-based
(Insert rows as needed)
WHAT INTERVENTIONS ARE ALREADY ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
Are any interventions/organizations currently addressing this issue? Yes_X__ No___ If so, please list below.
Intervention
Lead Agency
Progress to Date
Enhanced built environment plans (bike/ped
Take Step Two leadership team
Appalachian District Health
planning, comprehensive transportation,
implementing street scale design
Department
etc)
concepts
Community garden sites (managed by
Take Step Two leadership team and
ADHD
various sites
Seeds of Change coalition leading
efforts in 12 garden sites with
partners
Organizational policies to increase
Take Step Two leadership team
ADHD
healthy eating/physical activity
working with 3 school districts and
opportunities
29 childcare facilities to adopt
healthy eating and physical activity
policies
(Insert rows as needed)
WHAT RELEVANT COMMUNITY STRENGTHS AND ASSETS MIGHT HELP ADDRESS THIS PRIORITY ISSUE?
Community, neighborhood, and/or
demographic group
Alleghany County
Individual, civic group,
organization, business, facility,
etc. connected to this group
Town of Sparta
Ashe County
Town of West Jefferson
Watauga County
Town of Boone
District
Alleghany, Ashe, and Watauga
county representatives
Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga (Appalachian),
plus Wilkes County and Johnson County,
TN
Seeds of Change Coalition
Watauga County
Watauga Healthnet/Appalachian
Regional Healthcare System
How this asset might help
Connected to built environment
opportunities as they relate to better
quality of life and economic
development for citizens
Connected to built environment
opportunities as they relate to better
quality of life and economic
development for citizens
Connected to built environment
opportunities as they relate to better
quality of life and economic
development for citizens
Leading planning, communication,
and fostering implementation of
healthy eating and physical activity
opportunities district-wide with
policy, systems, environmental
change focus
A coalition of ADHD, Blue Ridge
Women in Agriculture (local nonprofit), and Heifer USA/International
aiming to increase access to healthy
foods to genuine need population
Leader in the community, linked to
community in Watauga County
Watauga County
Community Outreach
High Country Vision Council
Cross sector leadership and
connection with Avery County; an
initiative that is part of the High
Country United Way but also owned
by the community
(Insert rows as needed)
INTERVENTIONS:
SETTING, & TIMEFRAME
COMMUNITY PARTNERS’
Roles and Responsibilities
PLAN HOW YOU WILL EVALUATE
EFFECTIVENESS
INTERVENTIONS SPECIFICALLY
TARGETING HEALTH DISPARITIES
Intervention: Implement five new healthy
eating projects aimed to serve low income,
health disparate populations
Intervention: Community
_x_ new __ ongoing __ completed
Setting: Community and clinical practices
Start Date – End Date (mm/yy): 07/1206/14
Level of Intervention - change in:
__ Individuals _x_ Policy &/or
Environment
Lead Agency: Seeds of Change
Coalition (an initiative of ADHD)
Partners: Blue Ridge Women in
Agriculture
Role: provide farm workshops to
support development of produce
Partners: NC Cooperative Extension
Role: provide healthy eating
education through workshops,
cooking demonstrations, and/or
EFNEP (Ashe only)
1. Quantify what you will do
(# classes & participants, policy
change, built environment change,
etc.)
5 projects will reach a minimum of 500
people district wide, including
-one enhanced farmers market
(Alleghany)
-four garden sites (district wide)
-500 people will be reached through
nutrition education opportunities
(workshops, cooking demonstrations,
etc)
2. Expected outcomes: Explain how
this will help reach the local
community objective
Increased number of uninsured adults
who are enrolled in care management
services (tracked in CMIS and by HN
Coordinator and Access Care) which
will help increase patient compliance
which will support better health
outcomes and lower costs
(Insert rows as needed)
POLICY OR ENVIRONMENTAL
CHANGE INTERVENTIONS
Intervention: Implement four new active
living projects (built environment plans,
designs, and/or infrastructure projects) –at
least one/county
Intervention: Community
_X_ new __ ongoing __ completed
Setting: Community
Start Date – End Date (mm/yy): 07/1206/14
Level of Intervention - change in:
__ Individuals _X_ Policy &/or
Lead Agency: Appalachian District
Health Department
Role: lead built environment
collaborative advocacy, education,
and project group; participate in
community planning processes;
provide health perspective by
participating in appointed
boards/committee(s); apply for grant
funding as applicable
Partners: Take Step Two Leadership
Team
Role: develop strategy for increasing
3
July, 2012-June, 2014
3. Quantify what you will do
(# classes & participants, policy
change, built environment change,
etc.)
Three infrastructure projects
(1/county) will be completed to
enhance the built environment and
support active living by June 30,
2014
Two plans will be developed to
enhance planning for physical
activity and health
Environment
participation in built environment
planning/transportation planning;
communicate using a variety of
methods (market built environment
opportunities and benefits to
increase support)
4. Expected outcomes: Explain how
this will help reach the local
community objective
Providing spaces for active living and
transportation will support more
physical activity and thereby increase
the opportunity for active recreation
and transportation which will help
individuals achieve energy balance to
decrease weight and/or maintain a
healthy weight
Partners: Be Active Appalachian
Partnership
Role: Provide technical assistance in
promoting physical activity
enhancements to individuals and
groups
Partners: Local government
councils, boards, committees
Role: develop and adopt plans with
community input, seek input from
health perspectives
Intervention: Adopt a strategic plan for
building local, healthy food access and
farm to institution
Intervention:
_x__ new ___ ongoing ___ completed
Setting: Community
Start Date – End Date (mm/yy): 07/1306/14
The lead agency is Appalachian
District Health Department and it will
ensure the Seeds of Change
coalition will engage partners in a
thoughtful, inclusive way and use
data to drive decisions for plans
List other agencies and what they
plan to do:
1.
Quantify what you will do (policy
change, change to built environment,
etc.)
Develop and adopt a strategic plan to
drive healthy eating opportunities across
a 5 county region as a part of the Seeds
of Change initiative
Heifer USA-provide technical
assistance
2 reports will be developed to monitor
project progress and report data, action
plans
Seeds of Change coalition will
market the intervention, guide the
intervention, develop/adopt the plan,
implement and evaluate the plan
Dissemination of the plan will be
documented online and in the community
through county level meetings and
coalition minutes
2. Expected outcomes: Explain how
this will help reach the local
community objective (what
evidence do you have that this
intervention will get you there?)
Intervention: Conduct a feasibility study
for farm to institutional buying and/or PAD
(processing, aggregation, and distribution)
Intervention:
_x__ new ___ ongoing ___ completed
Setting: Community
Start Date – End Date (mm/yy): 12/1206/14
The lead agency is Appalachian
District Health Department (Seeds of
Change Coalition) and it will
conduct a feasibility study
List other agencies and what they
plan to do:
Heifer USA-provide technical
assistance
Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture
will oversee project staff and lead
fundraising for the project
Seeds of Change coalition will
market the intervention, guide the
intervention, develop/adopt the plan,
implement and evaluate the plan
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture
Project (ASAP) will conduct the
feasibility study, provide a report
A part of the plan will include access to
affordable healthy foods, some will be
targeted to reach health disparate
populations
1. Quantify what you will do (policy
change, change to built environment,
etc.)
Feasibility data reports will be provided
to coalition members
Steering committee of Seeds of Change
will provide presentations to Economic
Development Commissions
Funds budgeted or other political action
taken will be documented through
meeting agendas, minutes, etc
2. Expected outcomes: Explain how
this will help reach the local
community objective (what
evidence do you have that this
intervention will get you there?)
Increasing the opportunity for local
farmers to produce by providing a
Include how you’re marketing the
intervention
5
July, 2012-June, 2014
market will preserve farm land (a
necessary component for healthy
food production) and providing
opportunity for lower cost purchasing
locally will support increase in
organizational purchasing and
offering more healthy items (fresh
fruits and vegetables) through places
like schools, hospitals, and
colleges/universities