Updates on the mental health and wellness and nutrition coalitions were given in Washington County Public Health’s 2018 progress report for their Health Improvement Plan.

The five-year plan began in 2015 as the county did its health needs assessment, and established its priorities of access to mental health, physical activity across the lifespan, and nutrition and food systems. The 31-member mental health coalition has so far developed two different resource guides for primary care providers to make patient referrals and for community members seeking services, which were both widely disseminated.

Washington County Public Health Administrator Danielle Pettit-Majewski says the mental health coalition has now begun focusing on Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, and the issues it can cause, “We are taking a look at that and focusing on resilience, so how can we look at these children who are having Adverse Childhood Experiences, and how can we help them in a way so that they don’t end up having increased chronic disease as they age or having mental health issues as they age. Because there are interventions that can be done, so that just because that’s what you experienced as a child doesn’t mean that your fate is determined.”

If you are interested in getting involved with the mental health coalition and the county’s health improvement plan, you can contact Pettit-Majewski at 319-653-7758. To read the 2018 progress report click here.