By ALIYA FELDMAN
Leader editor
Concerned Jacksonville residents have devoted themselves to discussing the state of children’s health, and their ideas will potentially be used to help improve young people’s lives across the state.
The project, part of the statewide Study Circles network, is a community effort to find ways to improve the health of children.
“Jacksonville was selected as one of five communities across the state to participate in the study,” said Kristen Burton of North Metro Medical Center, who served as coordinator for the Jacksonville site. The Jacksonville Health Coalition, the Arkansas School Boards Association and the Arkansas Natural Wonders Partnership collaborated on the effort.
Jacksonville Study Circle members — including Karen Cunningham of the Department of Health, Patricia Henderson, director of the Jacksonville Health Unit, and Dana Rozenski of the Jacksonville Parks Department — created action plans for Jacksonville.
The initiative began with a report released last year on children’s health across the state.
“The goal of the project is assist in developing plans of action to improve the state of children in Arkansas,” Connie Whitfield of the Arkansas School Boards Associa-tion said. “Jacksonville was the site chosen to represent the Central Arkansas Public Health Region.”
“Jacksonville as a community and site of this Study Circles discussion… really got it and took the extra step to ensure that they, the community began working on local actions for improvement to the lives of Jacksonville residents,” Whitfield added.
Ideas and suggestions that resulted from the meetings will be used to begin planning for statewide changes for children.
“To find long-term solutions, we must begin with a safe and productive process that will help us talk about how families can partner with the community to help them shape the health and well being of its children and their families,” Burton said.
The group first defined problems families face in Jacksonville and then worked to find ways to solve them to help families be healthy.
Jacksonville Study Circle drafted an action plan to achieve this goal. This includes writing letters to local politicians about advocating expanding coverage to the uninsured, specifically college-age students ages 18-25 and parents who are making above the maximum income to qualify for ArKids First but do not make enough to afford private insurance.
The Study Circles members also pledged to help support the local police program Police and Kids Together by providing staff for the end-of-summer cookout at the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club and helping find sponsors for the program.
Members also discussed having a Jacksonville health resource guide available to be distributed at fairs, expos, and clinics and through the Jacksonville Health Coalition. A local fitness challenge may also be organized, similar to the Lonoke County fitness challenge.
“As followup, the participants and other invited guests have met to form a committee to look at ways to address the action ideas listed during the Study Circles discussion as ways for the community to begin making improvements for the children and their families in the Jacksonville community,” Whitfield said.
Members will follow up on these ideas and work to involve other people in Jacksonville.
