State Health Coalitions

October, 2003 -- With October being Breast Cancer Prevention month, a number of Mississippi’s communities rallied together to plan activities to promote breast health. One of those events was held in Indianola. Dr. William Gibson from the Breast and Thyroid Clinic in Jackson spoke to an audience of 60. Local partners for the event included American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Supporters and Friends, Diagnostic Imaging, MSU-Extension Service, and South Sunflower County Hospital. According to Ann Twiner, MSU Extension Service Area Health Agent, “Breast cancer statistics are high in this area. This seminar helped to reiterate the importance of early detection in breast cancer.”

October 2003 --Itawamba County promoted Breast Cancer Prevention through a series of four free luncheons on October 6-9. Each day featured a different presenter:

In addition to the lunch and speakers, sponsors arranged to have a mobile mammography van on site. Partnering with MSU Extension Service on this event were S & W Pharmacy, Davis Ford Sales, The Hanger, All Seasons Florist and Gifts, ICDC, F.L. Crane & Sons, L and R Discount Grocery, Inc., Franks, Franks, and Jarrell, CPA, Eddie and Stephen Hood, All State Agency, AmSouth Bank, and The Itawamba County Times.

October 2003 -- On October 18 th, the entire city of Macon came together to “Paint the Town Pink, as one of more than 35 cities and towns in the United States hosting “The Pink Line Project: Saving Lives, Saving Communities.” The event was a part of the Avon Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade, which offers annual community awareness events. A large number of community businesses and agencies as well as local citizens came together to make the event a success. The community held a walkathon led by breast cancer survivors, created a memorial for those who lost their lives to breast cancer, and held a “pink” fashion show. Several businesses got involved by giving away free pink items or having special “pink” sales.

October 2003 --Winston County hosted its annual B.A.T.T.L.E. against breast cancer. This yearly event includes an awareness luncheon with speakers and a fashion show. Because of these efforts, Winston County women are working together to win the BATTLE against breast cancer, having achieved the highest rates of mammography screening in Mississippi.

Making a difference in the lives of teens has been the focus of the Greene County Health Council this year. While the state teen pregnancy rate continues to decline, concerns over a volatile teen pregnancy rate for Greene County prompted the Council to look for answers. Modeling a successful teen abstinence program piloted in Jones County, the Council got off to an encouraging start.

Teens Getting Involved for the Future, or T.G.I.F., reaches 7th grade students through 11th and 12th grade Teen Leaders. These Teen Leaders were selected through an application and interview process aimed at selecting teens with strong abstinence values and a keen desire to help younger teens make healthy decisions. The Teen Leaders participated in over twenty hours of training before presenting the five-session curriculum, Managing Pressures Before Marriage, to the 7th grade students.

In post-test evaluations, 55% of the seventh graders said they had made a strong commitment to wait until marriage for sex. Another 23% indicated they saw some good reasons for waiting and would probably wait until marriage for sex. Three additional precious young students indicated they had already had sex, but were now choosing to wait until marriage for further sex. A consistent theme in all of the students’ comments was “I didn’t know the consequences.”

The seventh graders aren’t the only winners in this initiative. One Teen Leader said she liked participating in the program because “it helps not only the students, but it helps us as teachers to be more careful as to what we do.” Another teen leader said, “I like the fact that I was teaching younger students to have a good head toward the future and not make the mistake of having sex.”

Greene County Health Council is encouraged by the response of these students and plans to continue the program next year.

Tackling the pressures of being a teenager while answering the demands of a baby leaves many teen moms feeling overwhelmed and out-of-control. Recognizing the challenges these young moms face, Grenada County decided to lend a hand. Under the leadership of Marianne Clark, Grenada County 4-H Youth Agent, the 4-H G.I.F.T. (Gathering Information for Tomorrow) Club was organized in 1994 with a group of 4-H volunteers, and both school and health professionals in the community.

The planning group included representatives from local and district health departments, the local medical center, school counselors, and 4-H volunteers. Area Extension agents became involved during this past year having also recognized a need for supporting teen parents through education. The club is a school-based 4-H club that meets on alternating days of the week and periods of the day. The main educational focus has included teen parenting skills, self-esteem, personal responsibility, coping skills, child development, and self-care. For the fall semester, 19 teen moms were enrolled and volunteers logged a generous 120 hours.

Managing diabetes can be a confusing and frightening ordeal. However, for diabetic patients in the Greenville area, life can be a little easier. Thanks to the efforts of the Washington County Diabetic Council, a Diabetic Support Group is now meeting monthly in Greenville. The Council invites speakers from among health care professionals and health educators to speak at each session on a variety of topics vital to the diabetics’ health and well-being. A free lunch is provided through sponsorships from local hospitals, pharmacists, or drug representatives. The Council is made up of people in the community including registered dieticians from Delta Regional Medical Center and Kings Daughter hospital, Stay Home Health Agency, social workers, MSU Extension Service, and other interested parties. The Council meets monthly and plans out programs for the year.

A second support group has recently been formed to aid cancer patients in the Indianola area. The idea began as a follow-up to a Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar held last October. MSU Extension Area Health Agent, Ann Twiner, began talking to the other Seminar partners about forming a Breast Cancer Support Group during the planning stages of the Seminar. She found them to be equally concerned with providing this needed service. An interest sign-up sheet made available during the Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar quickly indicated the community’s need. Ms. Twiner, Luvenia Lee, LPN, and Bobbie Sue Bowen, Director of Radiology from the South Sunflower County hospital began to look for other partners to help guide the project. A Council was formed that included 2 nurses, 2 radiologists, a librarian, a breast cancer survivor, a hospital social worker, and the MSU Extension health agent. Since the support groups’ first meeting on January 8, the Council has decided to open the group to individuals struggling with all types of cancer. The Cancer Support Group meets every second Thursday of the month with a cancer related educational topic.

Mississippi has been on the scales and it was not a pretty sight! Three out of five Mississippians are overweight or obese making this the fattest state in the nation. This excess weight is a contributor to high blood pressure, cardio- vascular disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer, and a number of other health issues.

Pearl River County Health Coalition is ready to take action against this community health challenge. Partnering with a number of other community businesses, the Coalition is sponsoring a six-week promotion entitled “Healthy Habits for Life.” While this program has been available through MSU Extension Service for quite a while, the Pearl River County is taking an innovative approach to sharing its messages. A thirty-minute program will be broadcast over the local radio station WRJW each week, complemented by a weekly article in the Picayune Item newspaper. Listeners and readers will be able to go on-line to access handouts and resource material for each session.

The Coalition and its partners have been encouraging businesses to allow employees to listen to the radio programs each week, citing the fact that healthier habits lead to healthier employees, which in turn, lead to greater productivity and lessened absenteeism.

"This program is to establish lifelong eating and activity habits that will put you on the road to a healthier you. This program is not about quick fixes or dramatic weight losses, just a common sense approach to healthy living," said Liz Sadler, MSU Extension Service Area Health Agent, Southeast District.

Health Coalition Success Stories

Health Coalition
Success Stories