Page 26 • Hampton Magazine • Information Please 2014 Eat Smart Move More


Movement underway for a healthier county


Story by


Michael M. DeWitt, Jr. Managing Editor


Photo Illustration by Kim Doctor


Graphic Designer What did you have for lunch today, a greasy cheeseburger


and some fries? By the way, when’s the last time you got out and walked or enjoyed some form of exercise? We hate to sound like your mother, but if you are concerned


about your answers to these two questions there is a group that wants to help: The Eat Smart Move More Hampton County Coali- tion.


Eat Smart Move More (ESMM) was formed to address obesity and other health issues in our area through encouraging healthy eating, physical activity and just plain healthier lifestyles. ESMM-HC has been very active in our community since its


inception in early 2012, and the group is just getting started with a slate of programs and initiatives geared toward making Hampton County residents healthier, more diet conscious and more active. “Our overall goal is to improve the environment where we


live, where we work, where we play and where we pray,” said Ethel Denmark, ESMM coordinator. Denmark is also the H.C. Rural Health Outreach Coordinator for Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehen- sive Healthcare Services. “We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go.”


Here’s what ESMM has been up to lately: ESMM-Hampton County recently received a Community


Transformation Grant award of $90K from the Centers for Disease Control for the funding period April 2012 to Sept. 2013, and then this year the group was awarded another round of funding in the amount of $79,500 . With the grants, ESMM and the S.C. Tobacco Coalition created the Healthy South Carolina Initiative. Through this funding they have been able to launch many beneficial efforts, including: -A Complete Streets Workshop was held on May 22, 2013 at


Lake Warren State Park. Several local mayors and county officials were invited to participate in a discussion aimed at designing, plan- ning and building walking-friendly sidewalks and streets. ESMM officials are currently working to map out walking areas in various towns in order to see where it’s safe – or unsafe – to walk because of dogs, traffic, etc., and how they can be improved. $30K has been allocated for this project. -The Healthy Schools Program helps develop healthier school


environments that promote physical activity and healthy eating among students and staff. Among the Healthy Schools initiatives were the construction of a greenhouse and community gardens at Fennell Elementary School in Yemassee. Students learn how to plant and grow healthy foods, then the seedlings and vegetables are donated to the local Senior Centers. A second greenhouse is be- ing planned for Estill High School as well, which has an accredited agriculture curriculum. $10K has been devoted to this project, with


some of that money coming from the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. Healthy Schools is also working to provide healthy foods for


children attending summer camps in Hampton County. -ESMM partners with the S.C. Tobacco Collaborative and the


Healthy South Carolina Initiative, which is working for smoke-free workplaces and communities. Estill and Hampton have already passed smoke-free ordinances, and the groups are encouraging other municipalities to do so as well. As a spinoff of this initiative, these groups are offering 14


local churches a $500 stipend each to improve nutrition, imple- ment smoke-free church campuses and establish health ministries. Churches have to apply for these mini grants, and more information will be announced in The Guardian at a later date. “Our long term goal is to make Hampton County smoke free,”


says Denmark. -Finally, ESMM has partnered with the Hollings Cancer Center


to bring a mobile mammogram unit to Yemassee and Estill to offer widespread breast cancer screenings. For more information on ESMM, contact Denmark at 803-625- 2548 or 843-441-3215.


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