County conference helps put area in right direction

Now more than ever the future of our communities is in the hands of citizens. On Friday the second annual “State of the Community” County-wide Conference was held in Sidney. This event was organized to address the health and land use issues and plan for a bright future for our residents, and most important for our children. Individuals and organizations gathered to interact and work together to create sustainable, healthy communities, that was the priority. The question is: Has that changed in the last year?

Some may say yes, but we say no.

Last year at the first county-wide conference, action groups were formed to study and discuss the goals and strategies needed to help improve the quality of life in Richland County. Throughout the year, the economy has changed, the oil has slowed down and employment opportunities have decreased. But the focus of this conference has not.

The work to improve the present health and wellness, safety, convenience and welfare of our citizens is still the top priority. We can sit around and moan and groan about the economy, the stock market and what the next year will be like, or we can empower people within our communities to work together, capitalize on the resources we have and keep Richland County healthy and productive.

Nothing will be accomplished unless we share our ideas, be willing to listen to each other’s ideas, evaluate what is needed and move forward on those specific goals.

One of the goals was to promote physical health and wellness for all age groups which can only improve the quality of life in the area. The Sidney Herald is doing its part by having a health page twice a month. A series of stories about people within the community working toward being and staying healthy will also appear in the paper.

The health page will include a column by professionals addressing health and wellness information. The page is open for others to submit health-related articles, meetings and activities scheduled for community members to be aware of. E-mail publisher@sidneyherald.com with any health information you may want to share.

The objective is work as a community to educate, encourage and improve the health of our friends and neighbors in 2009.