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Health Care
Cowlitz County's Pathways 2020 Program Aims to Continuously Assess and Improve Community's Health
Pathways 2020 provides ongoing review of Cowlitz County’s progress toward community health goals.
Ten years ago‚ the Cowlitz County Health Department published Project 2020: The Health of Cowlitz County‚ a report that examined the community’s health from a variety of perspectives. That was followed by the Cowlitz County Report Card‚ which rated various agencies and organizations in terms of how well community health needs were being met.
Those efforts have evolved into Pathways 2020‚ an organization charged with reviewing the community’s progress toward a series of goals. It taps several entities for input‚ from the Cowlitz Economic Development Council to several health organizations‚ including Kaiser Permanente‚ PeaceHealth and the health department‚ and continues to produce the report card every two years.
And while much work remains to be done‚ there’s also been a lot of progress on many fronts‚ says Paul Youmans‚ director of Pathways 2020.
“We just completed our fifth report card‚ which looks at the indicators and benchmarks on the issues that affect the health and well-being of our residents‚” Youmans says. “Pathways continues to be a place in the community where people can come together‚ create ideas and deal with some of the issues and problems that we have in common.”
Early on‚ Pathways examined immunization rates for young children‚ the area’s domestic violence rate and the availability of after-school activities for children. While those items and others remain on the radar‚ the organization now has broadened its focus to include promoting healthy lifestyles and providing educational opportunities in the community.
“All of these things have a direct bearing on the health of our residents‚” Youmans says. “Youmans says the goal of Pathways is to keep its reach as broad as possible‚ from working directly with medical clinics and other health-care operations to assisting the economic development council and chamber of commerce in promoting the area’s economic health.
“A strong economy is good for us‚ because if a person is working‚ then they have better educational and recreation opportunities than a person who is not‚” he says. “At the same time‚ we’re working to promote early childhood development‚ family development‚ parenting education and other assistance programs so that we can reach as many people in the community as possible.”
Some high-profile programs Pathways currently promotes include the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition‚ executed in tandem with the health department‚ and Plant an Extra Row‚ which encourages backyard gardeners to produce extra vegetables‚ which can then be donated to food banks and other need-based organizations.
“We’re encouraging activities that promote healthier options‚” Youmans says. “Plant an Extra Row is a great way to help meet the nutritional needs of a lot of families‚ and it also promotes gardening. When you’re out pulling weeds and growing your own vegetables‚ it’s easier to keep in shape.”
As Pathways gears up to begin work on the next report card‚ Youmans says he remains encouraged by the vast amount of community input the organization receives.
“Civic groups‚ businesses and local governments see the report card‚ but they also meet with us so we can have a greater discussion of the issues facing the community‚” he says. “It looks at successes and shows how people have worked together to make improvements in the community socially‚ economically and educationally. At the same time‚ it puts out a call to action.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Brian McCord
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