Most people have heard the sobering statistics, but solutions seem few and far between.

More than 30 percent of adults in the Piedmont Health District are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity impacts nearly every area of life and puts adults in our community at increased risk for many of the leading causes of preventable death, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. Not surprisingly, diabetes and cancer rates are also high in this area.

The Piedmont Community Health Coalition (PCHC) is made up of state agencies, local nonprofits, community health leaders and concerned citizens.

Its mission is to promote healthy lifestyles for individuals, families and communities through collaborative efforts, while also advocating for policy change by local government and major employers. 

Obesity prevention became the initial focus of the coalition in part because it’s a widespread problem, but primarily because addressing it requires a cross-sector approach, which has a chance of working in settings that lack depth in any single resource, like health care, but have connected networks that touch people where they live, learn, work, play and pray. 

“Obesity is not something that any single agency can address. Not even the health department,” said Dr. Alexander Samuel, director of the Piedmont Health District and one of the founding members of the Piedmont Community Health Coalition.

“It really is a community level issue, because obesity and physical inactivity impact all realms of people’s lives, whether it be at home, school, work or worship. It’s something you must address from multiple angles.”

Collectively, members of the coalition hope to harness community resources to improve health and create a culture of wellness to support effective, sustainable strategies.

Their energy is focused on the Piedmont Health District, which is composed of Amelia, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward counties.

Samuel believes communities hold the solutions to their problems.

“I think there’s a lot of potential to reverse some of the trends, the poor health, that hang over this region,” said Samuel. “Many chronic diseases are preventable. It just takes making a stand — communities really taking ownership of the problem — to ultimately influence individual behavior in many cases.”

To address this community ownership of the problem, the coalition has gathered together community partners to collectively impact health. 

These partners include Centra Southside Community Hospital, Central Virginia Community Health Services, Crossroads Community Services Board, Southside Virginia Family YMCA, High Bridge Trail State Park, James River State Park, Central Virginia Health Center, Beulah M. Wiley Center, United Way of Prince Edward County, Prince Edward County Cooperative Extension Agency, faculty from Longwood University, Heart of Virginia Buy Fresh Buy Local, Heart Of Virginia Free Clinic, Piedmont Senior Resources, Piedmont Health District (Virginia Department of Health), STEPS, Inc., Natural pHuel, Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Crewe and Charlotte Adult Literacy Center.

This autumn, the Piedmont Community Health Coalition is sponsoring a six-week program to encourage area residents to explore active living resources.

The Fall for Fitness program will run through Nov. 19 and will highlight health promoting venues like Beulah M. Wiley Fitness Center, the James River State Park and the Southside Virginia Family YMCA, to name a few.

Program participants will have free access to specified activities and will also receive raffle tickets for prizes such like Fitbit electronic activity trackers and 1-month gym memberships. 

A raffle will determine the winners at a celebration at the end of the program.

Anyone interested in participating in the Fall for Fitness program can register through links found on the Piedmont Community Health Coalition Facebook Page or by contacting Erica Tedder, the Piedmont Community Health coordinator,  at erica.tedder@vdh.virginia.gov or 434-392-3984, Ext. 114, and leaving their name, phone number and email address. Registration is required to participate.

After participants register, they will be sent an email with their participant identification card and a calendar listing Fall for Fitness events where they can earn raffle tickets.

The coalition’s meetings are also open to the public and are held on the fourth Thursday of every month in Farmville.