By Alicia Kelso

Beginning in October, those who work and/or live in Dublin will have a little extra motivation to get – and stay – healthy. The Healthy Dublin initiative kicks off from 1-5 p.m. Oct. 4 with a festival at the Dublin Community Recreation Center.

Healthy Dublin’s mission is “to create an enduring culture of health, wellness and work/life balance using collaborative, community-based education and motivational initiatives throughout a three-year period.” The program is facilitated by Medical Mutual of Ohio, in partnership with the City of Dublin, Dublin City Schools, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and Dublin Methodist Hospital.

Dublin marks the third city for Medical Mutual’s program, first launched three years ago in Solon and again last year in Maumee. According to Rich Wallack, vice president of marketing services for Medical Mutual of Ohio, the program would ideally exist in as many communities as possible, but the resources have to be in place first.

“We had much success in Solon and began looking at other communities to engage the program. In the case of Columbus, we thought Dublin was the best fit because of its size and because the city was very supportive of the idea,” Wallack says.

According to Bev Shankman, executive director of Healthy Ohio Cities, Dublin’s size and resources made it a perfect fit for the initiative.

“By having a smaller community, we’re more able to have that one-on-one contact. This is a high-touch initiative,” she says. “We’re not just doing billboards and announcements, we’re actually doing health screenings, providing information and telling them how they can make a difference in their lives with these numbers. Our goal is to have a real connection with these folks and that is easier in a town the size of Dublin.”

The festival will include various screenings, including glucose, cholesterol, BMI and blood pressure. Vendors and information booths will also be available.

Participant screenings are followed by fitness programs and discussions, as well as the opportunity to meet with a dietitian and create an individualized plan.

“We’ll have a fitness class each week (locations and times to be announced) or so, to try and entice people to try something new with people who are in the same situation. The classes will be safe environments for everyone in that room, with no intimidation,” Shankman says.

After the initial 10 to 12 weeks of talks, classes and diet changes, Healthy Dublin will repeat screenings for participants to gauge their improvement. Those interested in participating in the free initiative can either register at the launch festival or at any of the initiative’s numerous programs. They can also register online at www.healthydublin.org.

Programs will be updated frequently on the Web site and will include those geared toward the National Health Calendar. For example, in November there will be a program to coincide with the Great American Smokeout, and December will feature programs on how to handle holiday stress and healthy holiday cooking.

There will also be programs designed for each targeted demographic, which is everyone from children through seniors, Shankman says. For example, Healthy Dublin will host sessions for women on breast cancer, which will also include advice on proper makeup application. For men’s health topics, there might also be a speaker present to analyze golf swings. Children will be able to participate in bicycle rodeos while learning how to correctly wear a helmet.

“It is harder to get women to come out for a talk just on breast cancer, or for men to show up to a program just about a men’s health topic. We want to entice them to show up and if that takes a golf swing analysis for them to talk about their own health, then fine. As long as they’re there, then we’re able to start making a difference in their lives,” Shankman says.

Although the idea is to encourage residents to make healthy changes for three years, the goal is to continue these lifestyle improvements beyond that time period.

“We hope participants get the data they need and come back to update their personal data and keep participating toward positive changes,” Wallack says. “After three years, we hope there is a strong health foundation in Dublin. After that, the goal is to see a strong wellness culture throughout the city continue.”

For more information about programs, the festival launch and how to get started in the initiative, visit www.healthydublin.org.  

Alicia Kelso is editor of Dublin Life.

The main goal of Healthy Dublin is enhanced health through:
1. Education and awareness of general health and wellness topics including fitness, work/life balance, weight management, smoking cessation, stress, nutrition, heart health, and prevention and management of childhood obesity.
2. Awareness of family health history and current health status.
3. Encouraging personal health responsibility and improvement of health outcomes with primary focus for:
   Year 1: Heart health and diabetes.
   Year 2: Weight management, exercise and fitness for adults and children.
   Year 3: Self-care, work-life balance, personal accountability for health status.