Unity Health - Wellness Today

The Unity Kids Ambassador Program was created in 2015 to educate local elementary students about how to live "health-centered" physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Through lessons and assemblies presented to multiple schools in the area, associates of Unity Health and hospital mascot K.C. Koala visit campuses to teach students about current health topics and how they can help their classmates, friends and families live a healthier lifestyle. Unity Health Marketing Coordinator Anna Brumfield helped introduce the program and has seen the project come to life. "It is important to us as a healthcare organization to empower kids in the communities we serve to think and be healthy," Brumfield said. "The Unity Kids program shows kids that being healthy can be fun and easy. The program also helps inspire kids to make healthy choices themselves and to share with others what they learn." Opportunities Abound One student from each third-grade class is selected weekly to deliver a health-centered message to classmates while wearing their own Unity Kids shirt. Third graders are chosen because they are viewed as leaders by their younger elementary peers, and their age is a good fit for hearing, processing and retaining the healthy habits they are learning. Being active and playing outside, drinking water and staying hydrated, cleaning hands and proper hygiene, and eating healthy are tips taught in each program. Students are encouraged to take the information home to family to share health tips and have fun while learning leadership skills. At the end of each school year, the students will write a one- page essay to evaluate the tips they have learned and retained. For schools with exemplary participation, a monetary grant is given by Unity Health to purchase health-centered items. One Student's Experience Jesse Stark, a student at Westside Elementary in Searcy, shared what she learned in her end-of-the-year essay: "Here are some tips I learned about that can help me live a healthy lifestyle. First, I learned that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We need to eat protein and carbohydrates in the morning before school to give us energy and boost our brain power. Next, I learned that we need to brush our teeth twice a day in the morning and at night for two minutes. Then, I learned that what we wear helps our body regulate its 'tempetcher' at around 98 degrees. Wearing coats, hats and gloves in the winter and shorts, T-shirts and flip-flops in the summer will help our body be at its best. Last, I learned to stretch every day before playtime, practice and bed." Uses of the grant include purchasing bicycles for third graders to learn to ride and practice bike safety, healthy snack options, playground equipment for outdoor activities and sports items for play during physical education courses. Students are able to see the return and reward of learning how to be health-centered throughout the school year and the benefits that come through hard work and increased knowledge. Gains From Grants Four schools were awarded for their participation during the 2015–2016 academic year, including McRae Elementary, Sidney Deener Elementary, Westside Elementary and Harding Academy. By receiving these funds, school districts will have the opportunity to increase the importance of healthy living through food choices, physical activity or increased playtime. In years to come, Unity Health hopes to further the program by reaching school districts throughout each service area, including Cleburne, Independence, Jackson, Lonoke, Prairie, Van Buren, White and Woodruff counties. WHEN THEY ARE TAUGHT HEALTH-CENTERED INFORMATION AT A YOUNG AGE, CHILDREN MAY RETAIN THE HABITS INTO ADOLESCENCE AND ADULTHOOD. UNITY HEALTH IS PROUD TO TEACH UNITY KIDS TIPS TO BE HEALTHY AND EMPOWER THEM TO BE AMBASSADORS IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND THE COMMUNITY. Unity Health Director of Marketing Brooke Pryor and Marketing Coordinator Anna Brumfield present Principal Jim Gurchiek from McRae Elementary and Searcy School District Superintendent Diane Barrett with a $3,000 Unity Kids grant to use toward health-centered items for McRae Elementary. Sidney Deener Elementary School used their grant money to purchase bicycles for students to exercise and learn proper bike safety. SPRING 2017 5 Unity Health Wellness Today

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