The concept of wellness has been around for a long time. Think Jane Fonda, leg warmers, the food pyramid. It’s been a busy few decades for the $4.3-trillion industry.
With so much information at the ready these days, there’s been no shortage of online classes, mental-health apps, and the latest health trends on social media. Consumers are inundated with tips, products, facts, and recipes offering content for what it means to be healthy.
Let’s face it, wellness is everywhere. The good news is that more and more people care about making healthy choices.
Simply promoting healthy choices doesn’t eliminate the social determinants of health and other health disparities. “Where you live can significantly impact your health outcomes and even determine lifespan,” says Emily Flynn, health and wellness director of the City of Kingston. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has developed a data tool that reports life expectancy by census tract. It uses social determinants of health including socioeconomic status, education, housing, employment, working conditions, healthcare, social network and social inequalities.
As part of an effort to create a culture and environment of health and wellness that supports individual behavior change and choices, Kingston was awarded a five-year state grant spanning a period from 2021 to 2026.
“The City of Kingston is working to combat the differences in life expectancy between neighborhoods with health and wellness department projects such as the Creating Healthy Schools and Communities [CHSC] grant program and the Live Well Kingston Commission with its six focus teams,” said Flynn. The program aims to support policy, system, and environmental changes to meet people where they are and to help create a healthier Kingston for all.
“The question comes down to how do we make being healthier easier for folks,” says Kristin Kessler, project manager for the Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program and registered dietitian. The program is helping increase opportunities for physical activity and nutrition in schools and the community by engaging with trusted partners in childcare, education, and collaborations in Kingston.
“We’ve been telling people for a while now to eat fruits and vegetables, and people have been telling us that they don’t have access to them,” says Kessler. “At this point, people understand the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. We don’t need to teach this anymore. Instead of saying, hey, you should be eating fruits and vegetables because they are high in fiber and vitamins and minerals, we are working to provide access and opportunities to actually have these available.”
Kessler says there are many neighborhoods and communities in Kingston that lack access to food options or a supermarket, creating what are known as food deserts. It is not nearly enough that the Kingston Greenline creates corridors of access.
Funding community needs
Efforts to utilize the $1.525-million grant award the CHSC programs are well under way in local elementary schools and in the community. Beginning last year, Kessler worked with the local YMCA on food service guidelines to bring healthier options to the food-vending machines. “People expressed a desire for healthier options in the vending machines, but it was important to make sure they weren’t necessarily more expensive,” says Judy Burns, YMCA wellness director. The work engages with residents on important aspects of health.
Through surveys, Kessler and Burns learned that people were interested in drinking more water. “The YMCA is a large building, lots of people are in and out, and we had a defunct water station,” says Burns. With the help of the program, the YMCA now has two water-filling stations. By a recent count, the new equipment has helped save 4114 water bottles in a five-and-a-half-month period, according to Burns.
Through CHSC, Burns was also able to install a new blackboard in the YMCA to better communicate with people who use the facilities. “We’ve seen an increase in drinking water and program participation, and people are looking for affordable ways to be healthy. Little things a long way,” reports Burns who was a fitness instructor at the YMCA before becoming director ten years ago.
Kessler’s team have also partnered with the People’s Place food pantry to offer more nutrient-dense and more visibly appealing items by updating the space. “We eat with our eyes and so we wanted to change the environment for those who choose their food at People’s Place,” explains Kessler. “We are working to bring dignity to a space that is often stigmatized, and there’s no reason it should be this way.” People’s Place has new shelving, bins, and posters that draw attention to the fresh produce that is front and center. “It’s similar to a mini farmers’ market,” says Kessler.
In the schools
Physical activity is a goal of the grant program. With the help of Family of Woodstock and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, around 20 daycare centers and several elementary schools within Kingston city limits have benefited.
“We are really focused on sustainability in school programs surrounding nutrition and physical activity,” says Ninette Warner, school program coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension. Warner, a registered dietitian, was hired to support CHSC elementary schools by helping create wellness committees. “It’s really interesting to see that each school has different goals and priorities, and we are able to customize initiatives through the work on these committees,” says Warner.
She has worked with the school district on larger wellness policies and JFK, Edson, George Washington, and most recently Myer Elementary School. Committees consist of school staff members, parents and families, school nurses, administration, and physical education teachers. “It’s important to have a diverse set of voices and opinions on each committee. Everyone brings different strengths and values, and we need all of these to drive change,” says Warner.
Schools participating in the national school lunch or breakfast programs already have wellness policies. The wellness committees can work to support those policies and implement new programs.
“One need across the board for all schools we have worked with was the need for physical activity equipment to use during recess or before and after school,” says Warner. CHSC was able to fund Badminton, cones, hula hoops, balls, water-based play activities, and other active equipment. Schools were also looking at nutrition outside school-lunch programs.” The programs at JFK focus on the Vegetable of the Month, engaging students and families to support the exploration of new foods through tasting and a monthly newsletter with recipes. For instance, JFK celebrated the month of May with a spinach festival.
Edson Elementary focused on healthier celebrations and opportunities for activities rather than food-centered parties. “This has brought up a lot of emotion,” says Warner. “We don’t want to limit celebrations, but we’ve been talking about more fun instead of food-based activities.”
Edson was able to purchase board games and other activities to support this type of environmental change. “You’re never going to please everybody. But we can add this in as an option instead of just taking away something.” Social and emotional wellness is also popular among Kingston schools, and Warner works with committees to address these goals.
Family of Woodstock is supporting 20 early-childcare centers to carry out initiatives. Family has trained daycare staff to engage young children in age-appropriate physical activity games and to introduce new foods to children through engagement in food preparation.
In the community
CHSC has supported the installation of a bike shelter, bike racks, and a bike repair station at Kingston Point Beach to further goals of the Greenline trail system. CHSC helped fund the landscape design project on the newly-configured Broadway and Prince Street. KaN Landscape Design, a local firm, was hired to help update the space after the intersection was realigned. The placemaking work will help make the Greenline more accessible for all ages and abilities and make the space more inviting for those in the area to use.
“Prior to Creating Healthy Schools and Communities, the City of Kingston was already prioritizing this type of work. Expanding health and wellness throughout Kingston was a natural fit, and we are thrilled to make physical activity and nutritional opportunities more accessible,” says Kessler. Kingston will continue the program through 2026.
To learn more, contact Kristin Kessler at 845-334-3917.
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