Our confession?
The way we talk about health is boring.
And while we’re being honest…
We’re exhausted by all the finger pointing.
Because let’s be real: When you were in kindergarten drawing pictures of your future self, we’re pretty sure you didn’t imagine yourself struggling with…
alcohol
drugs
or the bathroom scale
diabetes
cigarettes
heart disease
The truth is, almost everyone wants to be healthy.
But doing what it takes to get there isn’t easy – for almost all of us.
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Has a doctor called you obese?
44.7% of us in Delaware County have heard that awful word, too.
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Still taking smoke breaks at work?
17.9% of us in Delaware County are hanging out there with you.
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Know someone addicted to drugs? (Psst…it’s okay if that someone is you.)
41% of people in Delaware County have overdosed on opioids.
Yep, those numbers are sorta scary. But they don’t have to define us.
Together, we’re empowering a healthier community.
Health Confessions is a partnership between the Delaware County Health Department and Health First Delaware County.
If you want the jargon-ese introduction, find us here and here.
But if you’re burned out on the kind of health talk that makes you want to plug your ears and gouge out your eyeballs, here are two things you should know about us.
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Fact #1: We agree with the experts: Where you live matters big time when it comes to good health.
Experts say that when it comes to your health, zip code matters more than the genetics you’re born with. And while we’ve still got a lot of progress to make in our county, we’ve got some big things to celebrate, too – from great parks, low cost of living, access to highly personalized health care, and a top-ranked university.
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Fact #2: Living with just 113,000 other people isn’t always a bad thing.
A big plus of small-town living (if you’re not too introverted) is that if you set a big goal and ask people to cheer you on along the way, it’s not hard to find people who’ll stand in your corner. When you’re ready, we know dozens of people to introduce you to, from our partners at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, Open Door, Ball State University and Delaware County Tobacco Free Coalition to our friends at Delaware County Purdue Extension, Recovery Cafe, and more.
You’ve made your health confession. Now what?
Local organizations and partners who are here to help.
One more thing
Forget about the 6-pack abs. We’re never giving up our candy jar.
We know what it’s like to have late-night cravings, and we’ve felt the shame of being too tired to even think about working out after a long day in the office.
Every single one of us struggles with bad habits, and we all make questionable choices along the way (us included).
That’s why no matter what your health confession happens to be – we’re never going to make you feel bad about it.
We’re just here to help you finally turn your “maybe tomorrow” into “I did it today.”