A new health initiative comprised of employees from Copley Hospital, Lamoille Health Partners (LHP), and Lamoille Home Health & Hospice (LHH&H) had its first meeting to discuss common goals for community wellness. In late May a specific committee formed to discuss using a nearby piece of land to develop walking trails for patients, families, and community members. The initiative’s goal is to make it easier for people to get out and get exercise in a way that, in the words of committee member (and Copley Board Vice Chair), Anne Bongiorno is “accessible, affordable, and acceptable.”
According to LHH&H Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Holton Clapp, (who initially wrote a grant for funds to develop the walking trail), the idea is to improve patient, staff, and community health by developing a walking and nature trail across 13 acres of land off Washington Highway adjacent to LHP recently purchased by Copley. “The land touches or is adjacent to three of our organizations,” she said, “and our hope is to create a space that patients in recovery, families of patients, and staff members can use for exercise and quiet reflection. I might even use the word restoration.”
As part of the project, the wellness committee will look into laying down surface material to make the trail more accessible to walkers with disabilities and to purchasing exercise equipment to scatter along the way. “Over the coming weeks and months,” she said, “we’ll be walking the trails to envision what we might be able to do, with an initial goal of being able to open the trails this coming fall. We’ll
also be looking into various grants that are available to build and maintain these kinds of recreational areas.”
Down the road, the new initiative hopes to hold a health fair and to look at other ways to work together to serve the needs of community members that all three organizations share. This is a goal that committee member Anne Bongiorno
feels is important.
“While our initial work will be to develop the walking trails,” Bongiorno said, “we hope in the future to begin looking at how all three organizations might share resources and, jointly, examine the current and future healthcare needs of our communities in order to create a continuum of care right here in Lamoille County.” In time, she said, that may also involve including other healthcare providers in the area such as Lamoille County Mental Health Services.
The overall goal of our work, Bongiorno said, will be to make sure we are providing holistic, person-centered care that is available across all sectors of the Lamoille County healthcare landscape so patients don’t have to travel long distances for care. “Initially, we’ll be looking at community wellness and building the walking trails. In time, we hope to address the larger question of: are we providing the kinds of accessible healthcare that our populations need and deserve? Through our collaborative efforts, we hope to answer that question in the affirmative.” In the meantime, be watching for activity in the woods as the wellness collaborative begins its work.