Monthly news & updates
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March, 2020 | Issue 3
[MOVEMENT]
[ CONNECT ]
[ MINDSET ]
COMING SOON!
Community Strong Workplace Wellness Certification Program!!
The pilot launch is almost here for an easy-to-implement and potentially cost-free workplace wellness program, complete with certification. You can be among the first certified healthy workplaces in St. Charles County!

What we are creating…
Community Strong is building a certification for healthy workplaces in the St. Charles County area. The application for the award is now finalized and our action team of subject experts and professionals in nutrition, fitness, substance cessation, and mental health are focused on building a supplementary online toolkit. The intention of the toolkit is to provide all the tips and resources needed to satisfy the application for certification with little-to-no-cost. Business leaders only need to implement the program by sharing the health information and available resources with their employees, which won’t take much time using the Community Strong Toolkit.
What we are providing for resources is an arrangement of free/low-cost counseling, classes, trainings, apps, ask-an-expert forums, guides (etc.) for each of the areas of health (nutrition, fitness, cessation, and mental health). Want to have a Lunch-and-Learn at your workplace, with certified educators on managing workplace stress, nutrition and exercise (etc.)? Besides the cost of lunch, we can set that up free of charge and even provide the assessment tools to see what resources might benefit you most!
While we have arranged partnerships to provide great value within our community provisions, much of what is listed is already available to the community; We have simply leveraged our intimate understanding of the St. Charles healthy-living landscape into a consolidated pool of information that will be intuitive and easy to use based what health concerns the employer and employees have. 

Sign-up to Pilot Test it today
We have based our criteria for certification and much of our provided resources on an abundance of evidence-informed models of health and mental health. As you’ll notice in each of our toolkit components, we have cited the data for practically everything.

We have done the research and applied it, so that all you need to do is share it with your employees.

Sign-up now to be among the first certified healthy workplaces
in St. Charles County by calling or emailing
Thomas at [email protected] – 636.336.8381

Ready to find your place in Community Strong? Check out these Volunteer Opportunities
"Please treat me as if
I will die by midnight."
- Carissa Figgins,
Executive Director Community Strong
Here is what we know. Stress negatively impacts our health. Chronic social isolation negatively impacts our health. Everyday seems to be filled with chaos. We seem to be on the verge of mass hysteria.To get through this pandemic season we will need to find creative ways to stay connected while keeping our distance.

+Realize that everyone deals with stress differently. Some of us may be sarcastic and use humor. Others may need lots of affirmation. Deal with everyone graciously.

+Make it a priority to check on your neighbors especially your older neighbors. am not sure what to think when we are fighting over toilet paper.

+Maintain your routines. Be sure to keep moving and stay hydrated. These are two activities that are easily overlooked but can help ease stressful times.

+Use social media to spread positive messages not regurgitating possibly false information.

+ Treat everyone with kindness and understanding. This season of pandemic is something most of us have not ever had to manuever and we may not know how to respond but we all know how we would like to be treated.

I am not sure what to do with forts of toilet paper and my favorite hand sanitizer disappearing from the planet. However I do know I want to emerge from this time period bring more people together in healthy way that providing ways to divide them.

"Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again".-Og Mandino
Meet Your St. Charles County Neighbor- Luke Giesmann
Community Strong loves connecting neighbors with neighbors. Read on to find out more about your neighbor
Luke Giesmann and how he is one step closer to a healthier version of himself!

Census 2020
St. Charles County is an awesome community. As residents, it is important that we all work together to ensure it remains that way. This year, we have a great opportunity to make a difference in our community and show how much we care by participating in the 2020 Census. The census informs how political representation is determined and how billions of dollars are allocated every year to public schools, healthcare, roads, public assistance, affordable housing and many other critical services and programs that make a difference in our lives every day. Census invitations will arrive in the mail March 12–20. Be sure to do your part and complete the questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail. It only takes a few minutes, but the impact will be felt for years. Together we can make a difference!


inspiring a culture of health and wellbeing
 in St. Charles County
Partnering for Purpose & Passion
April 29, 2020 7:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
St. Charles Community College

May 2, 2020 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Frontier Park
Keep your head and get the facts about coronovirus
The coronavirus disease is a serious condition and precautions should be taken. However, widespread panic based on misinformation will ultimately do much more harm than good.  St. Charles County Government has activated its Incident Command Center. This means the County is taking precautionary measures to prepare for potential spread of the disease. Staff from multiple disciplines are working together in one location to constantly monitor for cases in our area and are following protocol developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Communication will be issued to the public if, and when, new information becomes available. The causative agent for COVID-19 is a coronavirus, and symptoms reported are similar to cold and flu suffers, including:
  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
While investigation of COVID-19 continues, symptoms are typically found 2-14 days following exposure based on previous human coronavirus illnesses.

Illness reports from COVID-19 patients range from infected individuals with little or no symptoms to those who are severely ill and those who have died. Older adults and people with underlying health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, lung disease and other respiratory ailments appear to be at a greater risk for developing severe illness. The best way to prevent this illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. The  CDC recommends  everyday preventative actions for this and other respiratory illnesses, including:
  • Regularly washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and drying hands thoroughly.
  • Using a 60% or greater alcohol-based hand sanitizer, if soap and water are not available.
  • Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces with household sanitizer.
  • Avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Staying home when sick, except to seek medical attention.
  • Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
  • Prepare for possible isolation requirements by collecting personal and family emergency supplies
  • Know employer, school and childcare attendance/sick-leave policies.
  • Those who have respiratory symptoms (coughing, sneezing or difficulty breathing) and who have suspected COVID-19 infection should wear a medical mask around others.

Social distancing is one of the advised practices, However, remember this is not an excuse for avoiding kindness with others especially in stress filled uncertain times, For the most current information on Coronavirus Disease 2019, please visit the  CDC ,  World Health Organization  and the  Missouri DHSS  websites.
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Mikey Moments- Try It You Might Like It









Do you get by with a little help from your friends?

Lonliness is an emotion we can all relate to but have we thought about how chronic lonliness can become a life or death situation?
In a recent interview with NPR, author Lydia Denworth explains how our social connections can actually have a positive impact on our cardiovascular health, our immune systems, how we sleep. Denworth also discusses how we tend to take friendships for granted. How many have said the phrase "we've got to get together soon," only to have time pass us by and those good intentions never turn into good plans. D enworth has this to say about the basic definition of friendship. " I think of friendship now as a template for all your relationships, because if you think about the sort of basic definition of friendship — it makes you feel good, it's positive, a long-lasting stable relationship, and it has some cooperation and reciprocity to it — that's what you want to be striving for in your closest relationships. And that can be with your spouse or your sibling or a relative, but not always. What matters is the quality of the bond, not its origin."
Denworth says she hopes we all will make friendships a priority. Not just for our health but how we can impact the health and quality of our friends' lives.
We can tell you over and over again that the research shows us our relationships have a positive impact on our health and well-being. But we want to hear from you! Comment on our facebook page about how your friendships have helped you not only survive but thrive!
Even if you are sure you are not diabetic...
Our Community Strong staff is enamored with the the American Diabetes Association website! We especially love the Diabetes Food Hub . It's easy to navigate to search for recipes, make a meal plan, and even generate your grocery list. The nutrition information is easily accessible. Do us a favor this month and just double check that you are not pre-diabetic or diabetic by testing your A1C scores through a simple blood test from your primary care physician. Then let us know what healthy recipe is speaking to your belly!