The first way to become involved is to make healthy choices in your own life and influence others to make healthy choices as well. Studies demonstrate that eating and exercise habits are strongly influenced by those around us. Be that positive influence on others.
Teach your children about healthy choices and behaviors. Parents are the most powerful influence: offer healthy snacks, teach about balanced diets, go for family walks, talk to your children about avoiding tobacco and other harmful substances.
Encourage a healthy workplace. Ask coworkers to substitute fruit for morning donuts, talk to your employer about reimbursing for gym memberships or form an exercise group with your colleagues. Big improvements can happen through small changes.
HOW TO VOLUNTEER FOR CENTRAL OKLAHOMA TURNING POINT:
Central Oklahoma Turning Point was begun by community volunteers who were deeply concerned about the health of people in Central Oklahoma. We continue to be volunteer-driven with many of the original stakeholders being joined by new people who are equally invested in helping our population become healthier.
If you have an interest in health issues and want to participate in trying to find solutions, please check out the following committees to see where you might want to focus your efforts. Contact Jackie Jones at jjones@healthyoklahomans.org to sign up for a committee, except for the Tobacco Use Prevention Committee, whose staff contacts are listed below.
Consortium: This body operates as a steering committee for the efforts of COTP.
Community Education: This committee has two subcommittees who plan events and activities designed to better inform the public of health and wellness issues:
Walk This Weigh: This committee plans and produces two walks per yer which encourage people to begin an exercise program. Offered without charge, these walks are designed to be unintimidating and non-competitive. Free health screenings are offered as well.
Symposium: This committee plans and produces two public symposia each year, one geared toward business wellness programs, and the other focused on a community segment. Speakers are engaged to meet the needs of the specific audience identified.
Community Engagement: This committee is charged with continuing the health/wellness dialogue within Central Oklahoma and helping a given community identify its primary health concerns. The committee then helps match partners who can address those concerns.
Tobacco Use Prevention: This committee is made up of individuals that want to raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use and secondhand smoke, expose the deceptive marketing tactics of Big Tobacco, and change policy at the local and state level to help make Oklahoma County a healthier place to live. The group meets the fourth Monday of each month during the lunch hour and all are welcome. For more information about how you can get involved in tobacco use prevention efforts in Oklahoma County contact: Suzanne Barnett, B.S.P., Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition Coordinator, Oklahoma City-County Health Department, (405) 425-4498, suzanne_Barnett@occhd.org.
The Tobacco Use Prevention committee partners with Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), an organization that supports teens between the ages of 12 to 18, who work to expose the deception and lies of Big Tobacco. Adult volunteers are needed to support student activities and meetings. Adult volunteer training is provided and time commitments range from 3-10 hours per month, depending on the time of year. A one year commitment and background check are required.
There are no financial commitments. For more information, please contact: Carolyn Durbin, B.A. Tobacco Use Prevention Supervisor, Oklahoma City-County Health Department, (405) 419-4212, Carolyn_Durbin@occhd.org
Health Care System: This committee has tackled the daunting question of how to supply quality health care to everyone in Central Oklahoma. Currently, a committee made up of members of COTP, Oklahoma County Medical Society, and Greater Metropolitan Hospital Council are meeting regularly to devise a workable plan.