Organizing a community wellness challenge was identified by the Wellness Action Group (WAG) as an action, that when combined with other actions in our community, that has a reasonable chance of making a difference in adult physical activity rates in our community. The program has been piloted in neighboring counties, including Swain County, whose program has received Institutional Review Board approval.  This is a new program in our community.

The priority population/customers for the community wellness challenge are physically inactive adults in Haywood County, and the wellness challenge aims to make a difference at the individual level. Implementation will take place in wellness-related settings such as parks, trails, neighborhoods, homes, and at community events and organizations.  

2020 Update:

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Haywood 4 Good community wellness program transitioned to a virtual format.  The program launched on January 11, 2021.  Approximately 100 individuals enrolled in the first round (Harris Regional Hospital, 2021).  The six-month long recurring program features three to four challenges monthly.  Challenges focus on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.  They feature names such as Spark Joy (decluttering), Limber Up (stretching, Cabin Fever (physical activity), and Sweeter Life (reducing or eliminating added sugar).  Haywood 4 Good is sponsored by Haywood Regional Medical Center and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina provided sponsorships for the program (Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency, 2021).  

The partners for the community wellness challenge include:

Evaluation Plan:

We plan to evaluate the impact of the community wellness challenge through the use of Results-Based Accountability™ to monitor specific performance measures. We will be monitoring How Much, How Well and/or Better Off Performance Measures. Our evaluation activities will be tracked in the Work Plan table, above. 

Sustainability Plan:

The following is our sustainability plan for the community wellness challenge: 

• Sustainability Components
  • Participant numbers, health improvements, and feedback will be evaluated.  This information will be used to determine the future of the program and justify necessary funding to stakeholders.  
  • The challenge is not a typical nutrition or weight loss program, but will instead have a comprehensive focus of physical, spiritual, emotional, and community wellness.  Unlike previous programs, the wellness challenge will not focus on gym membership or have a cost, increasing the likelihood that participants will continue healthy habits over time.  These features will allow us to engage a more diverse group of community members.  
  • Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) has a history of conducting a community fitness challenge and has strong support from community partners.  The HHSA is committed to providing staff time for this program.