Committee obtains grants for fitness equipment

With the help of the Visioning a Healthier Bourbon County committee, two local fitness centers will be adding some new equipment.

According to Visioning a Healthier Bourbon County committee chairperson Jody Brillhart, the committee was awarded $2,000 through the Southeast Kansas Regional Health Initiative Community Guide Mini-Grant Program which will be split evenly between Buck Run Community Center and Mercy Health for Life to help with the purchase of new fitness equipment.

Since its inception in 2009, the Visioning a Healthier Bourbon County committee has become place where grant opportunities and ideas for improving health seem to land. Brillhart said that it fits in well with the group's goal of encouraging, supporting and expanding local programs that increase physical activity. She said the size of the group doesn't hurt either.

"We have so many people on our board ... It's a good place to start," she said.

The committee will be applying for another grant in the near future which will assist in the funding of the Melt Down Program in September, a 10-week community weight loss program within nine Southeast Kansas counties. She said the program will be geared toward the promotion of healthier lifestyles and getting people more active.

Through the program, Brillhart said that Buck Run Community Center and Mercy Health for Life will be offering fitness classes, cooking classes, dance classes, nutrition classes and many other programs to encourage active living.

With Bourbon County ranking among the 10 least healthy counties in Kansas, according to the annual County Health Rankings recently released by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Brillhart said she has seen the community's desire to move up toward the healthiest counties on the list.

"I've been very impressed with the community in wanting to be healthier," she said.