A Healthy Transformation: From Hill Country Community Clinic to Hill Country Health and Wellness Center
Round Mountain's Hill Country Community Clinic will undergo a significant building expansion and an increased emphasis on integrated health and community services to the region they serve–Shasta County and surrounding areas. The McConnell Foundation recently gave a $1,000,000 grant for the expanded services and facility, which is scheduled for completion in 2008.
This small community in Eastern Shasta County is thinking big. Not only will the facility expand, but they will take a much broader view of creating a healthier community. Rather than merely treating the symptoms of poor health, the clinic will work to have an impact on underlying conditions that give rise to poverty and disease, with education and human connection at the heart of their strategy. Embracing the belief that true health is a result of a complex web of physical, emotional, psychological, and social factors has created these priorities:
Providing comprehensive social supports that meet the needs of all ages, such as adult education; an asset-based approach to youth development with a Youth Advisory Board; an intergenerational program which will engage youth with participants in the Adult Day Health Program; implementation of a program in which a health educator supervises teens who will work with younger children in the prevention of obesity; and parenting education and support groups as well as "Mommy and Me" yoga and exercise classes.
A building expansion that meets LEED silver certification standards, the green building rating system administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. Hill Country's facility will be the first in Shasta County to meet these environmental standards, promoting occupant health and reducing the harmful aspects of new buildings and furnishings.
The real winners in this expansion, of course, are the community members whose lives will be transformed by this comprehensive view of health and well-being. The McConnell Foundation is pleased to provide support for this holistic community endeavor.
