Galax Bike Rodeo

Three cheers for the Twin County Healthy Communities Action Team (HCAT) for their recent Bike Rodeo event!

This new HCAT was delighted to have state Senator Roscoe Reynolds pay a visit to their free, fun kids' bike rodeo on July 21st at Felts Park in Galax.

The team worked together to provide free bike helmets for participants, bike safety training, some nutritional information, a fun bike course and luckily some ice cold water for all.

Kudos to all of the groups who helped out - TurnKey KB & Associates, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Galax Police Department and others for making it happen!

PreventObesity.net

Want to connect with others working on family/childhood obesity initiatives? Take a look at www.preventobesity.net for ways to network online with other specialists in this field.

There's not much on the map yet for Southwest Virginia but if our HCAT-funded groups sign up and promote it to their coalition partners, local university researchers, volunteers and other wellness professionals, we could greatly increase our potential for collaboration and possibly coordinate efforts in the future.

VA County Health Rankings

Almost all of you seek out city/county level data for grant applications or to share with your community. These new County Health Rankings may be particularly helpful to you.

If you haven't already visited this site to see the Virginia map, click on the link below and find your county. You can get all kinds of cool data and see how your county stacks up against the rest of the state!

www.countyhealthrankings.org/virginia

Working on Substance Abuse Prevention/Treatment in SWVA?

If you answered YES, you must get a copy of this new resource.

This blueprint, developed by One Care of SWVA Inc. is a tremendous tool that can be shared with decision makers, community leaders and those working in the trenches of the substance abuse field here in SWVA.

It is the result of several regional planning meetings involving our local public health leaders, the faith community, colleges, universities, social services, and CSB professionals among others. This blueprint does a fantastic job of framing the substance abuse problem in our region and outlines a coordinated approach with goals and objectives that can help move SWVA into a healthier future.

I have several copies on hand and will happily send one to you if you're interested!

You'll FLIP over this!

We've got a great new loaner resource for all of you grant-funded folks!

A new Flip Video Camera that can record up to one hour of all of those fantastic programs, events and special activities that your groups are conducting!

These new cameras are available for loan so contact me if you'd like to check one out for an upcoming event. It comes with simple directions, software for your computers and a USB for charging the device and a USB for downloading the content. This will be a new and easy way to capture, organize and share video footage of some of our fantastic initiatives so be sure to take advantage of it!

1-800-QUIT-NOW

Did you know that the Virginia Quitline services have been expanded this year?

The line is staffed with LIVE quit coaches and counselors, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with unlimited calls for those age 13 years and older. In addition, Medicaid and uninsured populations are eligible for FREE nicotine gum or patches.

Do your part today to help promote the 1-800-QUIT-NOW number. Post this info in your office or share it with others. It's also a great resource for employers who promote tobacco use cessation for their staff.

If you have questions about this campaign or the available resources, let me know.

Mini Grants -- Re-Release!

These mini-grants have been re-released so be sure to visit www.preventionconnections.org/funding.shtml for all of the details!