Gaston Community Healthcare Commission
(in partnership with Gaston Together)

www.gastontogether.org

• Injury Prevention, Child: Work with SAFE KIDS Coalition to target motor vehicle injuries through annual car seat checks, annual bicycle rodeos, and other childhood safety programs
  
  

• Child Abuse/ Neglect: Childhood Health Promotion & Protection Project Group developing new partnership with the Interagency Child Abuse Council

• Mental Health, Depression: Community Wellness Education Project Group educate the community about depression and provide information on the signs of depression and access to care; target specific populations through schools and work sites.

• Heart Disease, Overweight & Obesity, Physical Activity: Fitness & Nutrition Council establish and maintain a county-wide fitness program,

• Community Health, Access to Quality Health Care and Health Promotion: Establish/ maintain Parish Nurse programs

• Adolescent Sexual Health: New initiative to develop county-wide program to address teen pregnancy and teen peer pressure to be sexually active issues

• Workplace Wellness: New initiative to develop a county-wide program coordinating preventive healthcare work sites and to establish and promote "best practices"
  

1.Gaston On the Move: County-wide walking program coordinating schools and the community with the county Parks and Recreation walking facilities.
2. Health at Home Handbook Program: medical reference guide (English & Spanish) distribution and training program for uninsured and underinsured residents of the county. Developing service provider directory for recipients as well as quarterly preventive healthcare information mailers.
3. Education on signs and symptoms of depression: Funded training videos and developed skills curriculum for public and private school health staff, developed "Signs of Depression" brochures (English & Spanish) targeted to adult issues and distributed through work sites and the county-wide Hispanic resource center, and printed and distributed Hope Cards, business card size informational literature on the signs and symptoms of depression along with reference numbers for mental health resources.
4. Gaston County SAFE KIDS Coalition: County-wide Car Seat Check
5. Threads of Hope: informational series on signs and symptoms of depression; depression support group was established as an outgrowth of the project
6. Parish Nurse Ministries
7. Developed Fitness & Nutrition Guide: resource and information guide for Gaston County, which was distributed as an insert through the Gaston Gazette.
8. Greenway Sign Project: Fitness & Nutrition Council received grant to build a sign on the Gastonia/ Lineberger Park Greenway which displays information on upcoming physical activity events and to provide updates on the Greenway.
9. "Healthy Weight for Healthy Kids" Youth Obesity Summit: held county-wide summit in the Fall of 2004. Conducted follow-up strategic planning session in January 2005. Partnering with schools and YMCA in the, "Winning Moves" program to promote healthy eating and physical activity.

Home Health Book: Three-year project funded by Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to distribute medical reference guide to uninsured and underinsured residents in Gaston County to serve as an aid in preventive medical care and to encourage the establishment of a primary care physician.

1. William G. Aulyan Award - 2001 (Awarded for distinguished Healthy Carolinians Partnership presented by the Governor's Task Force for Healthy Carolinians Partnership.)
2. 2003 NC Prevention Award for Coalition Excellence (Given to the GCHC's Fitness & Nutrition Council and awarded by the NC Prevention Partners)
3. GCHC's Fitness & Nutrition Council recognized as a 2003-2004 Local Hero Honoree by Carr Color Guard Club
4. 2005 NC Public Health Partner of the Year presented by the NC Association of Local Health Directors
   

• Community Assessment
• Historical Facts
• Demographic Information
• NC County Website

content updated: tml-07/25/05