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

A Special Year End Message

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As the year comes to an end, the Working on Wellness Environments team would like to take a moment to reflect on the great accomplishments achieved in 2019. Four counties across the State of Texas are participating in the Centers for Disease Control funded Working on Wellness Environments program. Coalitions in Starr, Webb, Maverick, and Hudspeth counties met in their respective counties to discuss issues in nutrition, food systems, and connectivity to find ways in becoming a more active and healthier community.

In all, we saw  over 40 partners from all kinds of organizations join these efforts. More than 8 coalition meetings were held, 10 RFAs were submitted, and 2 counties have had trainings in playability and walkability.

Counties interested in working with food systems and nutrition were able to conduct site visits with specialists, and in 2020, have upcoming plans to conduct assessments. The Working on Wellness Environments team is very grateful to be working alongside citizen champions who are committed to making their communities healthy.

In certain cases, the holiday’s make it tough to stay healthy with all of the delicious, traditional foods and sweets usually available. Don’t let eating healthy and staying active feel like an impossible feat this holiday season! If you are interested in ways in being healthy this holiday season and jump-starting your healthy New Years resolutions, please check out this resource.

Additionally, please find ways to stay active this holiday season here and here. The Working on Wellness Environments program would like to wish everybody a happy holiday! See you next year!

 

Hudspeth County November Workshops

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By: Kelsey CoatsSierra Blanca Park

The Sierra Blanca Community Coalition has begun planning for their Community PSE Start Up Projects. Last week the coalition invited the WoW-E team to do a Walkability and Park Workshop and to do site visits for their nutrition projects.

On Monday, November 4, the Sierra Blanca Community Coalition hosted the Walkability and Park Workshop at Hudspeth County Agrilife Extension. Representatives from Hudspeth County, Ranch on the Rock, and Hudspeth County Agrilife Extension and key coalition members were in attendance. The WoW-E team facilitated the workshop and went on the walking audit conducted by coalition members. The walking audit covered Sierra Blanca Public Park and examined the area immediately surrounding the park.  After the walking audit the coalition discussed what could be improved to make the area more walkable. They identified areas where crosswalks would be beneficial. The coalition would like to improve walkability to the park as well as other everyday destinations. The coalition also discussed creating and naming walking routes in and around the park.

Sketching proposed trails       Coalition discussing crosswalks around park

The coalition’s next steps are to engage the community about walkability. The coalition plans to pilot test proposed crosswalks with pop ups in late winter early spring. In the meantime, the coalition plans to activate the park to engage community members to find out when and where people walk and what would get them walking more.

On Tuesday, November 5, coalition members gave the WoW-E team of two sites where they are building greenhouses. The first site use to have a fully functioning greenhouse that utilized aquaponics for growing fresh produce. The greenhouse has been unusable for the past year and a half due to damage by feral hogs. The WoW-E project inspired community members to start rebuilding the greenhouse. The second site visited is another area community members are going to build a greenhouse. Upon completion of the greenhouses, the coalition has requested business planning for a farmer’s market. The coalition has connections with local convenience stores who would like to sell more fresh produce. The coalition and convenience are discussing working with the WoW-E team on healthy food displays.

Greenhouse construction site       Greenhouse damaged aquaponics system

The WoW-E team enjoyed learning more about Sierra Blanca’s park and hearing community members ideas to make it more walkable as well as the coalition’s ideas for where and how to sell the produce grown at the greenhouses. The team looks forward to watching these projects continue to grow.

Starr County Workshops

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By: Kelsey Coats

On Tuesday, October 22, the Move Rio Forward working group held a Walkability Workshop and Walking Audit at the Kelsey Bass Museum in downtown Rio Grande City facilitated by the Agrilife WoW-E Team. This focused on two of their Route to Destination (R2D) Community PSE Start Ups in Starr County.

A group discussing a barrier on the route during the walking audit.

A group discussing a barrier on the route during the walking audit.

Move Rio Forward aims to make downtown Rio Grande City more walkable for pedestrians, whether those are locals or visitors. The idea is that people will park in one place and walk around to do their errands instead of driving their car to each place separately. The group also envisions people walking around before or after enjoying a meal downtown.

During the Walking Audit workshop attendees walked the downtown area noting what works and what could be improved for supportive walking environments. In attendance were members of the F.J. Scott Study Club and Woman’s Club RGC, Rio Grande City planners, an Economic Development Corporation representative, a Rio Grande City Public Works representative, members of the Rio Grande City Garden Club, and Starr County Agrilife Extension. The group aims to pilot test pop up crosswalks and signage in early 2020. They also hope that making the downtown area more walkable will revitalize the area and make the community healthier.

Picture showing the group who attended the workshop in their safety vests ready to conduct the walking audit.

The Walkability Workshop Group ready to conduct the walking audit in their safety vests.

On Wednesday, October 23, the Rio Grande City Librarian brainstormed active play and walkability ideas with the Agrilife WoW-E Team. The Agrilife WoW-E Team received a tour of the historic building the library is housed in and learned about services and programs offered by the library. The Rio Grande City Librarian is looking to incorporate active play and walkability into existing library programs and is looking for ways to encourage children and their families to be more active at the library. Because the library is an everyday place, they also seek to make walking to and around the library easier. They aim to incorporate pop-up play into an event before the holidays this year.

The picture shows the Rio Grande City Library exterior.

Rio Grande City Library

The Starr County Health Coalition met to learn about and discuss other initiatives in the county and how to promote them as well as to get an update on the WoW-E project. The Agrilife WoW-E Team is excited to continue working with these groups on their Community PSE Start Ups in Starr County and looks forward to returning soon.

Increasing walkability is of growing importance to communities around the nation, with several notable benefits.

  • Health: Multiple studies point to decreased risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease for residents of a walkable neighborhood than those in sprawling neighborhoods.
  • Finances: Walking is low cost and people often do not have to spend money on gas.
  • Happiness: Traffic and congestion can cause frustration.
  • Community: Walkable areas increase interaction with friends and neighbors. It also can help small businesses thrive.

 

Find out more about the Agrilife WoW-E initiatives on our Facebook page, Working on Wellness Environments- Texas A&M Agrilife Extension. To inquire about our walking audits and walkability workshops click here.

Working on Wellness Environments Counties

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By: Kelsey Coats

Obesity is a major health concern in Texas, and a new program aims to provide support for improving access to healthy foods and connectivity to safe every day places. This will take place in four Texas counties with some of the highest rates of obesity in the state: Starr, Webb, Maverick, and Hudspeth.

Playground equipmentThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s High Obesity Program (HOP) is aiding AgriLife Extension’s Working on Wellness Environments program, which aims to increase access to healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and safe walking environments and places.

Working on Wellness Environments will focus on these four counties located along the Texas-Mexico border. They are primarily Hispanic, and primarily rural. Each county has an AgriLife Extension coalition leading their communities in the program.

With a population of 64,525 people, Starr County is approximately 1,223 square miles and its two largest urban areas are Rio Grande City and Roma. The county is about an hour and a half west of McAllen, and two hours southeast of Laredo. The three school districts in Starr serve around 17,600 students – that’s almost a third of the population under 18.

Starr County’s Health Coalition is made up of members of the city of Roma, city of Rio Grande City, Starr County, Rio Grande City Economic Development Corporation, Rio Grande City Consolidated ISD, Roma ISD, San Isidro ISD, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Center for Sustainable Agriculture & Rural Advancement, Texas/Mexico Border Coalition, After School Center in Education, FJ Scott Study Club, Prairie View A&M, and AgriLife Extension.

Roadside stand selling orangesThere is a lack of access to healthy fruits and vegetables, in part because the only major grocery store chain in Starr County is half an hour from Roma. Roma has three major dollar store chains, so many people make their food purchases there, instead. This is a concern of the coalition, which also wants to improve existing and add new physical activity amenities for the population.

Head north along the Rio Grande River to find Webb County, which is a two-and-a-half-hour drive south of San Antonio. This county is around just over 3,360 square miles with a population of 275,910. Laredo is Webb County’s largest city and its three school districts that serve around 68,200 students. Webb’s coalition contains members from Webb County Community Action Agency, Bethany House, Cigna, Las Promesas de Laredo, Jeff Jones Laredo Rotary Club, University of Texas Health San Antonio-Laredo Campus, Texas A&M University Colonias, Border Region Behavioral Health Center, Serving Children and Adults in Need, and AgriLife Extension.

One of the objectives of Webb’s Coalition is to better understand their healthy food environment and systems and make enhancements with efforts tied to a local food pantry and University community garden.

Road showing fast food chains in townFurther north along the Rio Grande, about two hours northwest of Laredo and two and a half hours southwest of San Antonio, Maverick County’s population of 58,485 people live in approximately 1,279 square miles. The majority are in Eagle Pass. The county’s three school districts serve around 15,600 students – nearly a third of the residents are under 18.

Maverick’s Coalition has members of Maverick County Precinct 1, Area Agent on Aging Middle Rio, City of Eagle Pass, Eagle Pass ISD, Maverick County Hospital District, Methodist Healthcare Ministries- Wesley Nurse Program, Southwest Border Area Health Education Center, University of Texas Health San Antonio, South Texas Rural Health Service Inc., Behavioral & Substance Abuse Counseling Prevention Education, Texas Department of State Health Services, United Medical Centers Health Education Program, and Prairie View Extension Maverick.

Like the other counties in the program, residents of Maverick County need better access to healthy food choices. That’s one of the coalition focuses, which also include increasing parent involvement in community health and wellness. Other areas of emphasis include creating more opportunities to be healthy in the workplace and possible park improvement for increased access.

Dirt roadFinally, an hour and a half east of El Paso and eight hours west of San Antonio, Hudspeth County is the largest of the HOP grant areas, with 4,570 square miles, but only 4,795 people. Its three major towns are Sierra Blanca, Dell City, and Fort Hancock. The two school districts serve about 500 students.

Hudspeth’s coalition has members from the County Commissioner Court, Hudspeth County Park Management, Emergency Management, Sierra Blanca Community Enhancement Organization, 4-H Youth, SBISD School Board, and Texas A&M AgriLife.

Hudspeth’s large land size, small population, and lack of water are barriers to access to fresh fruits and vegetables and this is a focus of the coalition. Most residents drive to Van Horn, in Culberson County, or El Paso to get their groceries. The coalition wants downtown areas to be more walkable since there are few places to walk to and people are largely dependent on cars. The coalition has also expressed a desire to reopen the public library, which could be an everyday place to walk or bike.A stop sign in a rural community

The Working on Wellness Environments team is excited to work with and learn from these counties and coalitions and expand their work and best practices to other Texas communities.

Resources

https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/elsi/quickFacts.aspx (district enrollment numbers)

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts (population, land area, race and Hispanic origin)