Working on Wellness Environments
Working on Wellness Environments (WOW-E) is a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension multidisciplinary community development program

Team Member Spotlight

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The Working on Wellness Environments team would like to extend our best wishes to our own Kelsey Coats. As an Extension Assistant of Program Outreach PSE, Kelsey has been involved in every aspect of the WOW-E project from providing technical assistance for community planning efforts, logistical support for site visits and workshops, to contributing to the communication efforts.

Kelsey began her career with Texas A&M Agrilife Extension as a student worker with the Urban and Municipal Parks program, where she excelled in this role for a year and half. After graduating, Kelsey transitioned into a full-time role with WOW-E and Texas A&M Ag

rilife Extension’s Urban and Municipal Parks Program. Kelsey’s background and experience in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences and her previous work in community planning, allowed her to succeed as part of the physical activity subject matter expert team, as well as the communications team.

When the RFA process was introduced, Kelsey had a key role in guiding communities through readiness assessments, asset identification, and setting clear goals and action steps. As projects progressed into planning phases, Kelsey’s involvement included leading walking audits in Rio Grande City and Sierra Blanca, TX, planning pop-ups with the downtown Rio Grande City, TX group, planning story walks with the Rio Grande City Library in Rio Grande City, TX, and guiding all groups through various site inventories. Additionally, Kelsey shared these best practices with other communit

y leaders at two state conference presentations and in her article for NRPA (see below).

Instrumental to the communications team, Kelsey has been involved with social media, newsletter and blog creation, and has taken lead in creating videos that highlight the dedicated community champions of our 4 counties. With strong writing skills and a bird’s eye view of best practices, Kelsey was invited to write an article for the National Recreation and Park Association magazine, where she highlighted community engagement in relation to the WOW-E project. Kelsey participated in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel, where she was invited to speak about the communication efforts of WOW-E and our local coalitions who are active followers of the communication pieces.

Kelsey’s favorite part of being in this role is working with a multidisciplinary team. She enjoys looking at issues from a health standpoint. She also enjoys getting to know our four counties and seeing local groups get excited about making change in their counties.

 

As for her steps, Kelsey will be attending Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where she will be pursuing a master of Regional Planning. She is excited to not only approach planning with her background in parks, but with health in mind.

The WOW-E team would like to thank Kelsey for her dedicated contributions to WOW-E. While we will not see her as much, we are looking forward to continue working with her on a part-time basis.

Meeting Digitally

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to work differently. Whether it’s taking on a new or additional job or household responsibilities, quarantining at home or wearing facial masks and protective gear, we’ve all had to adapt to these unprecedented times. This also includes adapting our outreach for WOW-E and working with many groups to meet online.

After some initial time to adjust to COVID-19, some local coalition groups and the WOW-E team have been able to engage in planning meetings and coalition meetings online. Victorino Cantu, in Starr County, and the counting experts from TTI (Texas Transportation Institute) were able to “visit”, plan, and troubleshoot pre-use counts using Zoom, Google Earth, mapped cell phone images, email, and good old fashion phone calls.

Of course, these new changes come with challenges. Most of our coalition members are involved in frontline COVID-19 response efforts. Additionally, internet access and access to computers prohibited some from being a part of the efforts as mentioned by one of our groups in Webb county. Finally, some members may have no experience with zoom. While some have found asking their children and grandchildren for help has been helpful, and are on their way to becoming zoom professionals, others do no see this as the solution for themselves!

Please be reassured that we continue to work with our local agents and team members are listening to you all as we work together in responding to and adapting our outreach to continue to support local coalitions in the efforts to continue to push for healthier infrastructure and systems in your local communities. Know that you can reach out to me with questions, ideas, or concerns through my email valeria.jauregui@ag.tamu.edu or my direct phone line (956) 821-1476.

Agent Spotlight: Ashley Gastineau

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Photo of Webb County Family and Consumer Health Agent, Ashley Gastineau

Ashley Gastineau has been with Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Program for three years. She is a Family & Community Health (FCH) agent for Webb County. From the time Ashley was in college, she knew whatever career path she chose, she wanted to help others and after taking a Nutrition course as an elective, she knew she wanted to provide health education. Ashley began her career with Prairie View Extension as a Better Living for Texans (BLT) Program Assistant. Through her initial work on BLT, she saw the need and benefit of serving the underserved community. Because of that early experience, she knew she wanted to continue that throughout her career.

Ashley’s favorite part of her job is that her work allows her to reach multiple generations. She teaches and provides programs on various topics such as nutrition, mental health, finances, parenting skills, and food safety. This flexibility allows her to reach people of all age levels and help them improve their quality of life.

For Ashley’s Policy, System, and Environment efforts, she says marketing and networking are really important. The Webb County Cooperative Extension Coalition she works with is one crucial component of connecting the right people to programs and initiatives throughout Webb County. The coalition members are key as well as their partners outside of the coalition. Many organizations in Webb County are already working to make Policy, System, and Environment changes. By networking and working together Webb County can make these changes.

While the coalition cannot meet in person during COVID-19, the support of the coalition is still there. Ashley says the coalition has grown even stronger during COVID-19. Meeting online allows them to meet more often than when the meetings are held in person. Everyone has to adjust their service offerings during COVID-19. The coalition members have been able to help each other make this adjustment and share ideas and information.

Ashley is excited for Webb County to continue working with the WoW-E program. She is proud of the initiative coalition members and youth groups she works with have shown to lead WoW-E initiatives throughout the community. One possibility she is particularly excited about is the prospect of making the community more walkable. While many in the community would like to walk more, there are areas where Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design efforts could make the area safer and, therefore, more walkable.

Ashley recently received a Texas Extension Specialist Association award for being an outstanding FCH/Community Development agent. When talking to her, the passion and love she has for her job is clear in her words and how she speaks. Ashley is a key contributor to the WoW-E team. We look forward to continuing to work with her and the coalition on Policy, System, and Environment efforts in Webb County.

WoW-E COVID-19 Update

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Protect yourself and your community from COVID-19

By: Kelsey Coats

In light of COVID-19, WoW-E will be highlighting relevant COVID-19 resources this week.

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension is continually giving COVID-19 updates. There are resources on physical and mental health as well as how to best protect yourself financially. Click here for Texas A&M Agrilife Extension’s information and resources.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is continually giving national updates on COVID-19. They let you know how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick. They have information on symptoms, older adults and medical conditions, and how to prepare your family. They also have community resources on travel, school and childcare, businesses and employers, and community and faith-based organizations. For national COVID-19 updates and resources, click here to learn more.

The WoW-E Team is not traveling until further notice. We are continuing to provide technical assistance remotely. Please reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Check our blog and social media for more COVID-19 resources.

February is Heart Month

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This month marks the 56th consecutive heart month initiative. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. The initiative promotes the importance of heart health and the need for more research, with a reminder to get everyone involved. Cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke combined) kills about 2,300 a day. Obesity in both youth and adults is at an all-time high. The American Heart Association wants you to consider these facts:

  • Heart disease kills more people than all forms of cancer combined
  • Heart attacks affect more people every year than the population of Dallas, Texas.
  • 83% believe that heart attacks can be prevented but aren’t motivated to do anything.
  • 72% of Americans don’t consider themselves at risk for heat disease.
  • And 58% put no effort into improving their heart health.

While there have been advances in medicine, the AHA says unhealthy lifestyle choices combined with rising obesity rates in both kids and adults have hindered progress fighting heart disease.

“The good news is that heart disease is preventable in most cases with healthy choices, which include not smoking, maintaing a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholestrol, treating high blood pressure, getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intesity physical activity a week and getting regular checkups.”

Working on Wellness Environments- Texas A&M Agrilife Extension is joining these efforts by promoting healthy foods and physical activity, supporting and providing technical assistance for the creation of local food systems, and working with local communities to create walkable downtowns and connecting safe, accessible areas to everyday destinations.

Tomorrow, February 7th, is National Wear Red Day! Go red for the awareness and prevention of heart disease. For more information, visit goredforwomen.org

Thanks to Dr. Jenna Anding for the resources!