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Contact: Shannan Boyer
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Skyward Announces New Community-Wide Initiative
LiveWell NKY aims to ignite the community to build a culture of good health
Covington, KY (Monday, February 8, 2016) Skyward (formerly Vision 2015), the organization charged
with developing and managing Northern Kentucky's strategic plan (myNKY), along with key partners
has announced the creation of LiveWell NKY, a community-wide initiative designed to improve the
health of Northern Kentucky residents.
A key strategy of the myNKY plan's health goal is to move an additional 9% of residents into excellent
or very good health status. LiveWell NKY will provide Northern Kentucky with a common vision for a
culture of good health. The program, which has recently launched its pilot phase, will focus on
helping communities, worksites, schools, and faith-based organizations pursue health goals in the
areas of physical activity, improved nutrition, and tobacco-free environments. Based on the
implementation of policies and environmental changes that drive improved health, organizations will
be awarded "LiveWell" status.
"For many years, health programs have focused on individual behavior, assuming that if you teach
people what will make them healthy, they will find a way to do it," said Skyward President Bill Scheyer.
"Unfortunately, being healthy is not just about individual choices. Today, we’re realizing that it’s not
enough to know how to be healthy – you need practical, readily available healthy options around
you. That’s where policy, system and environmental (PSE) change comes in. Health programs and
events are important, but PSE strategies support long-term sustainable change at the larger
community level."
In support of these PSE strategies, St. Elizabeth Healthcare provided Skyward with a $100,000 grant to
kick off the LiveWell NKY initiative. LiveWell NKY has launched in five pilot communities - Covington,
Newport, Ludlow, Ft. Mitchell and Gallatin County. Coalitions of more than 60 key stakeholders from
the pilot communities participated in an Action Institute at Griffin Elite Sports & Wellness center
recently to learn about evidence-based health strategies, review community data, and to begin
developing strategies for engaging their stakeholders in the LiveWell NKY movement. The funds are
being leveraged for community-wide marketing efforts that include the development and launch of
a LiveWell NKY website (www.livewellnky.org) and video, as well as training materials/sessions,
coalition technical assistance, and support for the five LiveWell NKY pilot communities.
"Health serves as the foundation for so many facets of our community," said St. Elizabeth Healthcare
CEO Garren Colvin. "We are excited to not only support a collaborative model like LiveWell NKY, but
to support myNKY’s goal and St. Elizabeth’s vision of making Northern Kentucky one of the healthiest
communities in America.”
In addition to the community coalitions, a LiveWell School initiative has been developed through the
existing Northern Kentucky Health Department coordinated school health program, which aims to
support environmental change through school health recognition and school policy improvements.
Schools currently participating are Newport Middle School, Grant County Middle School, Beechwood
Independent School District, and Ockerman Elementary School in Florence.
Skyward, in its capacity as collective impact “backbone organization,” and the Livewell Steering
Committee of key partners are providing overall program direction for LiveWell NKY. Skyward is also
contributing full-time staff support, data resources, marketing technical assistance and a web-based
portal to facilitate collaborative progress across the region.
Health educators from the Northern Kentucky Health Department assisted with the design of the
LiveWell NKY program and will work closely with local coalitions as they implement the healthy
community strategies. Additional LiveWell NKY partners include HealthPoint Family Care, Interact for
Health, Three Rivers District Health Department, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Flottman
FUSIONWRX, and Viable Synergy.
“The Northern Kentucky community is ready to take action and positively improve its collective health
rankings," said Lynne M. Saddler, MD, MPH, District Director of Health with the Health Department.
“We are excited to support the implementation of this component of the myNKY plan, and to be part
of a collective approach that works together to create health environments and cultures that will no
doubt improve the lives of Northern Kentuckians.”
As the current pilot communities and schools are launched, LiveWell NKY is simultaneously
developing a LiveWell “ambassador” program and identifying additional faith-based, worksite and
community coalitions to launch throughout 2016.
To learn more about the LiveWell NKY initiative, visit www.livewellnky.org.
About Skyward: On June 4, 2015, Vision 2015 changed its name to better reflect the community’s
current five-year work plan. Skyward is both the engineer and the engine behind myNKY, a
community-driven five-year strategic work plan designed to elevate Northern Kentucky to new
heights. Skyward's purpose is to make Northern Kentucky thrive by connecting education, wellness,
business and culture in innovative, inclusive, productive ways, as outlined in the myNKY plan. For
more information, please visit www.skywardnky.org.