Chronic Disease Prevention

Chronic disease has been a key issue in Lewis and Clark County for the past several Community Health Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans. In L&C County, chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and chronic lower respiratory diseases are the leading causes of death among county residents. L&C County also has higher mortality rates due to cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases when compared to both the state of Montana and the United States as a whole. 

Falls Prevention Awareness Week is September 18-22^nd. This is an opportunity to raise awareness about the impacts of falls and what we can do to prevent them. Whether you walk around a store, walk down the walking mall, or on the weekends do a activity of your choice, the goal is to move a little bit more! The Walk with Ease challenge will start on October 2^nd, so get signed up today!Community members are invited to a free “Walk with Ease”, 6-week, evidenced-based, self-directed walking program starting on October 2^nd. Anyone at any fitness level can participate. Throughout the 6 weeks, participants will be encouraged to walk a minimum of three times a week. But you can walk more if you like! The participants complete a short pre-survey and then receive a welcome email. Every Monday morning during the six weeks, an auto-generated email is provided with information on walking safely, stretching, flyers, You Tube Videos, a walking journal, and access to the site to record walking minutes for the week. Every Monday starting the second week of the program, participants will record their walking minutes (not steps) through the sixth week. The weekly email will remind participants to record their minutes and the link will be provided in the email. At the end of the six weeks, the participants will complete a short post survey. After completion of the short survey, they will receive a Certificate of Completion and entered in for a prize. Register here to get started:https://app.chronicdiseasedata.org/PatientPortal/default.aspx?CourseID=3050

Prevention-based health department programs work in conjunction with the Healthy Communities Coalition to mitigate the effects of harmful environmental exposures, champion accessibility for people with disabilities, encourage preventative care and screenings, and promote healthy choices and behaviors among residents of Lewis and Clark County. Those programs include: