Umatilla County Plan4Health

Stage 1: Capacity Building

​Umatilla County Public Health and Land Use Planning received funding to work on building capacity to advance initiatives and strategies that will increase access to healthy food and physical activity for all Umatilla County residents. 

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Plan4Health Coalition Members: ​

OSU Extension

Hermiston Chamber of Commerce

Calpine Corporation

City of Pendleton

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Small Business Representatives (EO Business Source, Sno Road Winery)

Large Farms Representative

Pendleton Chamber of Commerce

Small Farms Representative (Farmers Ending Hunger, Oregon Wheat League)

Planning Commission

Master Gardener

Intermountain Education Service District

Milton-Freewater Downtown Alliance, Hermiston School District

St. Anthony Hospital 

Good Shepherd Hospital

YellowHawk Tribal Health Center

Stage 2: Community Needs and Readiness Assessment

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The University of Oregon’s Community Service Center (CSC) was hired to conduct the Community Needs and Readiness Assessment (CNRA).  The county coalition served as the public involvement component. The assessment consisted of a mail-home survey to registered voters, focus groups with vulnerable populations, and community outreach at public events.  

 

The information gathered and the final report includes a menu of resources and existing programs that may be utilized to combat the two disease determinants, lack of physical exercise and access to nutritious foods.  Importantly, the CNRA is customized to the culture and desires of the community so as to maximize potential for success.   The report also assessed health needs and gaps in services and identified opportunity areas where the coalition can maximize existing programs and funds. Access the full report PDF below:

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Stage 3: Implementation 

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Umatilla County's Plan4Health Initiative was able to award mini-grants to support several projects across the county to increase access to healthy food and physical activity. The projects are:

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1: Weston-McEwen High School will construct a chicken coop for the Ag Department Land lab in order to improve student involvement for future development of increased egg use in the school’s food service as well as in the community at large. The district has begun pursing a plot project with ODE to develop USDA approved egg production to create a School to School or School to Community food program with educational opportunities in business development, marketing, agriculture, and food sciences.

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2: The Umatilla School District received funding for supplies to formalize a walking/jogging path to be constructed on school grounds at McNary Elementary. The path will be available to students and citizens of Umatilla and will create additional physical activity opportunities. The path will be able to host community walking events and be utilized for PE class and other classroom lessons.

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3: OSU Extension SNAP-Ed utilized funding to create time lapse recipe videos using Food Hero recipes in order to expand their reach and overcome barriers in reaching community members. Food Hero recipes are tested by OSU Extension to meet nutrition criteria, in addition they’re easy to prepare and budget friendly. The SNAP-Ed Coordinator worked with a local middle school TV club to produce the videos in both English and Spanish.

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4: Hermiston High School’s Advanced Welding Class, Student Business Club, and the City of Hermiston partnered to create signs and marketing for a new disk golf course coming to the city. Welding students will create the signs during Winter and Spring terms and the Business Club will create a press release and other marketing to promote the facility and convey a message on the importance of health and wellness.

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See the UCo Plan4Health Project in pictures here

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