Healthy Jackson County is a collaboration of many organizations working to improve the health of residents.

The organization focuses on three key areas: Improving nutrition, decreasing tobacco use and increasing physical activity.

Bethany Daugherty, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour, is the Healthy Jackson County coordinator.

In 2021, she said a total of 363 vaccines were administered at St. Ambrose and Iglesia Evangelica Chuj Rios De Agua Viva COVID-19 vaccine clinics.

The Hispanic Health Taskforce partnered with St. Ambrose Hispanic Ministry, Iglesia Evangelica Chuj Rios De Agua Viva, Schneck Medical Center, Indiana Health Center of Jackson County, Jackson County Health Department and Seymour Community Schools to provide the COVID-19 vaccination at both ministry locations.

Currently, Schneck COVID-19 vaccine walk-in clinics are from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the Schneck Professional Building lobby. First, second and booster doses are available for those 5 and older.

In May 2021, the Healthy Jackson County coalition completed Jackson County’s first Community Health Improvement Plan.

Daugherty said more than 55 community partners contributed to the development of this plan that will guide the coalition’s work for the next two years.

“A special thanks to the Indiana University School of Public Health and Purdue Extension for assisting with this effort and to the IU Center for Rural Engagement for formatting the CHIP,” she said.

There were 87 Quitline referrals from Jackson County providers last year.

For people thinking about quitting smoking and would like some help, a quitline might be what they need to succeed. Quitlines provide free coaching over the phone to help people quit smoking.

When calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, a smoker can speak confidentially with a highly trained quit coach.

Quitlines provide many of the services and similar support one might get in a stop-smoking class or from the doctor and can be a valuable complement to a doctor’s care.

Available throughout the United States, Quitline offers coaching help in several languages.

Healthy Jackson County and Schneck Medical Center received a Tobacco Community Grant from the Indiana Department of Health to build the community’s capacity for tobacco cessation.

A total of $171,000 in grant funds have been awarded to Healthy Jackson County to address tobacco use, rural food access and community and health care navigation.

Daugherty said 16 new community partners joined Healthy Jackson County in 2021, and they are looking forward to even more collaboration this year.

All 2022 Healthy Jackson County meetings will be held via Zoom until further notice.

The next HJC All-Member meeting will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 30. The meeting takes place three times a year.

The Increasing Physical Activity workgroup meets on the third Tuesday of every other month from 11 a.m. to noon and will next meet March 15.

The Improving Nutrition workgroup meets from 10 to 11 a.m. on the second Wednesday of every other month, and the next one is April 13.

The Decreasing Tobacco Use workgroup plans to meet from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 28. This group meets on the fourth Monday of every month, except December, and will next meet March 28.

Hispanic Health Taskforce meetings take place from 3 to 4 p.m. on the fourth Monday every other month and will be meeting March 28.

For information, visit schneckmed.org/healthy-jackson-county.