Leadership Kitsap’s Healthy Community Day was held at Harrison Medical Center, Silverdale, on January 11, 2019.
Kody Russell (LK16), Kitsap Strong Project Director shared Kitsap Strong’s collaborative impact initiative to improve the overall health and well-being of Kitsap and its residents through the prevention of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and building of resilience, a theme woven throughout the day.
Kitsap County Public Health District Health Officer, Dr. Susan Turner, gave an eye-opening report of the current, critical health issues in Kitsap County. In response, Emily Kleiner, introduced Blue Zones Power 9 as a blueprint for healthy living in Kitsap County. As former Director of Events and Promotions at Pacific Business News in Hawaii, Emily helped launch Hawaii’s statewide Blue Zones initiative.
Lunch prepared by Harrison Medical Center catering provided the opportunity for reflective conversation led by Dedra Miller (LK15) and Marie Singleton (LK09). Following lunch, Matt Wheelus, VP of Operations/COO Harrison Medical Center CHI Franciscan Health shared an update on Silverdale’s campus expansion featuring state-of-the-art medical technology and comprehensive healthcare services for our community.
Jeff Faucett (LK14), Assistant Chief South Kitsap Fire & Rescue, gave an overview of Kitsap’s Fire and Emergency Management Services and tax district funding. As Incident Commander for Port Orchard’s tornado, Jeff had an interesting perspective to share on the Positive Leadership capacity of Resilience.
The afternoon centered around a case study exercise designed to broadened class members’ knowledge of various health care and social service agencies available in Kitsap County. Class members were given cases reflecting real scenarios in Kitsap County and had the opportunity to visit various agency representatives to find solutions to complex family problems. The participating agencies and representatives included: Coffee Oasis, Lisa Henderson; Holly Ridge Center, Jamie Ream; Housing Solutions of Kitsap County, Bridget Glasspoole; Kitsap Community Resources, Elizabeth Molello and Suzie Guthrie; Kitsap Mental Health / 211, Kelly Schwab; Meals on Wheels Kitsap, Russ Shiplet; Peninsula Community Health Services, Yvonne Brown and Pauline Castro; and StandUp for Kids, Margaret Rodriguez. The activity was debriefed by Dedra Miller (LK15), Holly Ridge Center Human Resources Specialist.
Is was a very impactful day of learning about Kitsap’s collaborative efforts to keep our community healthy and resilient! Thank you to our Challenge Day sponsors CHI Franciscan Health, Harrison Medical Center, and Holly Ridge Center.