Residents of Thomas, Cheyenne, and Rawlins County are asked to give thoughts on physical activity, healthy eating opportunities in northwest Kansas. In under 10 minutes, you can make a big difference by completing the anonymous Collaborative Community Perception Survey.
Colby, Kan. – (Wednesday, May 6, 2020) In an effort to make northwest Kansas the healthiest place to live and work, LiveWell Northwest Kansas (LiveWell) is asking people of Thomas, Cheyenne, and Rawlins Counties to complete an anonymous Collaborative Community Perception Survey. The short survey should take less than 7 minutes to complete, said LiveWell Executive Director Travis Rickford.
“LiveWell staff work closely with businesses, nonprofit organizations, community leaders, schools and healthcare workers throughout the region,” explained Rickford. “Many people might know us through our Smart Start or Coalition programming, or drug abuse and alcohol prevention efforts, or even from our work establishing the Colby Walking Trails and Poolside Park in Colby. All of these programs, and more, help us fulfill our mission.
“Ultimately, we want healthy opportunities to be the easiest and most convenient options for everybody in northwest Kansas. But, to make progress around issues of food access, physical activity and tobacco use we need people to complete the survey and share their perceptions with us.
“All of these things are important to us at LiveWell. But, we won’t know how to move forward until people fill out the survey.”
Rickford says the need to survey the public comes at the result of a multi-year partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways for a Healthy Kansas Initiative. Support from Blue Cross has already made many area programs and business expansions possible. For example, funding supported the establishment of gardens in Colby and St. Francis, new water filling stations at schools in Bird City, and fresh produce baskets in Atwood, to name a few.
People may remember completing this survey in 2017 and 2018, explained the director. This is the final survey before the Pathways Initiative is completed at the end of July 2020.
CLICK HERE to complete the survey.
CLICK HERE to learn more about LiveWell and the Pathways Initiative.