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and getting fit. Tese resolutions coupled with the cost of health care and our national affordable health care program make the time right for a serious discussion about what we can do to help each other save money by taking better care of ourselves. WAIT! Before you tune out and turn the page because you think I am going to tell you to go on a diet and exercise until you fall out, remember, our good health is not all about the number on the scale and whether or not we can run a marathon in record time. It speaks volumes about where we are as a society when the “less
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healthy” choice is the “default” choice due to availability, safety, and/ or cost. We buy candy for ourselves and our children because that is what we see at the cash register – it is in sight and available. And often cheaper! We live close enough for our children to walk or bike to school – some much needed activity – but we still drive them or have them ride the bus because we perceive it to be the safer choice. We buy a box of macaroni and cheese because we can feed our family with it for less than a dollar instead of opting for fruits and vegetables due to the cost. What can we do to turn the tide? I recently learned about a program called Growing Healthy Com- munities (GHC) through the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP). Te mission of this program is to improve the health of all Arkansas communities by increasing physical activity and healthy eat- ing by creating and supporting opportunities for both. Tis is not just another government program that is trying to legislate healthy living. A few communities/counties have been chosen each year since 2010, to receive a grant and participate in making a plan for helping people have more opportunities to make healthy choices for themselves and their families. When I consider what GHC is doing, this saying comes to mind, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” Te money that is available – seed money, if you will – is just enough to get the ball rolling. Some communities and counties have taken the money and leveraged it into very large sums of money, doing some amazing things. Some communities that applied were not chosen to receive money but all communities were given training, technical as- sistance, and adopted into the GHC network and got started without outside funding. So what kind of changes are we talking about? Some are very simple and do not cost anything. For example, the Desha County GHC asked local grocers to put apples and bananas at the cash register next to the candy, 50 percent of each. Ten people, especially parents, have a healthy option available and in sight. Jefferson County GHC is planning the same thing in their local grocery stores. Some changes take a little more planning and collaboration, like
a “Safe Routes to Schools” program. Tis involves working with schools and community leaders to find and implement a route for children to use to walk or bike to school that can be monitored and
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Saving money with fitness, discounts
t’s statistically proven that people who are fit spend less money on health care personally and their employer spends less on health insurance. With that said, it is the time of year people make resolutions connected in some way with health
Savings times 2
Wallet & waistline
kept safe. Ten there are services that provide a double benefit, like a farmers’ market. Tere are many communities and counties like Batesville, Helena/ West Helena, Washington, Fulton and Howard counties that have farmers’ markets that provide access to healthy foods at an affordable cost and allow lo- cal farmers and gardeners a place to sell their produce. More often than not, all people want and need is the opportu- nity to learn about healthy choices and the availability to make them. And what about increasing access to physical activity? Washington County has done wonderful work with linking neighborhoods and schools using joint agreement funds to cre- ate walking trails. Many of the GHC’s are looking at how easy or hard it is to walk by performing their own walking audits. Can you get where you need to go by walking in your community? Not only does this provide physical activity but it also helps our senior citizens connect to their community having a safe place to walk and visit. With 75 counties in this state, there are 75 sets of circumstances that must be addressed. Te benefit of the GHC program is two-fold. First, communities and counties receive help and training to develop a plan that fits their unique situation. Can you form a committee to develop and implement a plan in your county without this program? Absolutely! In fact, I’d encourage you to take the necessary steps to do so. But, the second part of the benefit of the GHC program is the support of con- necting with other communities and sharing ideas. If you would like more information on the Growing Healthy Com- munities program go to
www.arkansasobesity.org and/or contact Joy Rockenbach at
joy.rockenbach@
arkansas.gov. Te title of this article is “Saving money with fitness and discounts.”
Becky Comet AAC Member Benefits Manager
Well, here is the latest on discounts available to county employees and volunteer firefighters. We have two banks that have partnered with the AAC to provide some great services. Bank of the Ozarks and Regions Bank all have many services to offer and the things they each bring to the table are similar in some ways and diverse in others. Go to the AAC website,
www.arcounties.org, and see which one is the best fit for you. Click on publications and search for “discounts.” In keeping with the discounts and fitness theme, I have a new self- appointed mission. I am determined to find a fitness center in every county that will offer our folks a discount. If you have a fitness center in your area that you would like me to call, please e-mail me with those suggestions. I will keep you updated by e-mail and on the AAC website. As I have said before, if you are not getting regular e-mails from me
regarding our discounts and deals, then I don’t have your e-mail address. Feel free to send it to me so you can stay connected. Also, if you have any suggestions of businesses that you would like to see added to our list, e-mail me at
bcomet@arcounties.org.
COUNTY LINES, WINTER 2013
Member Di$count$
Member Benefits
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