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Independence, MO —
A year and a half into the initiative, Building a Healthier Independence keeps building upon itself.
The multiyear, three-tiered effort to improve the overall health quality of life for Independence residents reached another significant milestone last week when three new blue-light emergency communication phone towers were installed at Little Blue Trace Trail. Like many components of Building a Healthier Independence, the Health, Parks and Recreation and Public Works departments worked together on the phone towers’ component.
Located near the R.D. Mize and Necessary roads trail head, the Missouri 78 and Fisher Road trail head and at the Bundschu and Bly roads trail head, the phone towers help ensure that those using the 13-mile stretch of the trail in Independence can reach 911 dispatchers at the touch of a button.
“It adds an added security benefit for those who may not be carrying cell phones,” said Eric Urfer, director of Independence Parks and Recreation. “It gives them the ability to contact our local police department in case of an emergency.”
Each of the phone towers communicates directly with 911 dispatchers, although the towers don’t have actual telephones. They are powered by solar panels, and as a safety precaution, the alerts from the towers can only be terminated by the 911 dispatcher and not at the tower.
Plans are already under way to install three additional emergency phones later this year or in early 2013. The Social Innovation for Missouri grant, as part of the Building a Healthier Independence initiative, primarily funded the phone towers.
“Parks, trails and open spaces create a positive impact on the quality of life in any community,” Christina Heinen, project coordinator for Building a Healthier Independence, said in a news release. “Homeowners and businesses cite these as reasons impacting their decisions of where to locate. The installation of the blue-light emergency communication phone towers not only assures safety for those using the trails but also protects the investments made in our parks and trails. They are a crime deterrent, provide a sense of security and offer quick notification and response in emergency situations along one of the most used, picturesque trails in Independence.”
Other recent or upcoming additions as part of Building a Healthier Independence include the following:
• HEALTHIER FOOD CHOICES: Health Department officials are working with local restaurants to make the public more aware of which facilities offer calorie counts as part of their menus.
“We know that when you do see that, you often make a healthier choice,” Health Department Director Larry Jones said of calorie counts. “We think that we’re getting a salad that’s really healthy, but it’s really not because it had fried foods or other things added into it or the dressings are really rich.”
A year and a half into the initiative, Building a Healthier Independence keeps building upon itself.
The multiyear, three-tiered effort to improve the overall health quality of life for Independence residents reached another significant milestone last week when three new blue-light emergency communication phone towers were installed at Little Blue Trace Trail. Like many components of Building a Healthier Independence, the Health, Parks and Recreation and Public Works departments worked together on the phone towers’ component.
Located near the R.D. Mize and Necessary roads trail head, the Missouri 78 and Fisher Road trail head and at the Bundschu and Bly roads trail head, the phone towers help ensure that those using the 13-mile stretch of the trail in Independence can reach 911 dispatchers at the touch of a button.
“It adds an added security benefit for those who may not be carrying cell phones,” said Eric Urfer, director of Independence Parks and Recreation. “It gives them the ability to contact our local police department in case of an emergency.”
Each of the phone towers communicates directly with 911 dispatchers, although the towers don’t have actual telephones. They are powered by solar panels, and as a safety precaution, the alerts from the towers can only be terminated by the 911 dispatcher and not at the tower.
Plans are already under way to install three additional emergency phones later this year or in early 2013. The Social Innovation for Missouri grant, as part of the Building a Healthier Independence initiative, primarily funded the phone towers.
“Parks, trails and open spaces create a positive impact on the quality of life in any community,” Christina Heinen, project coordinator for Building a Healthier Independence, said in a news release. “Homeowners and businesses cite these as reasons impacting their decisions of where to locate. The installation of the blue-light emergency communication phone towers not only assures safety for those using the trails but also protects the investments made in our parks and trails. They are a crime deterrent, provide a sense of security and offer quick notification and response in emergency situations along one of the most used, picturesque trails in Independence.”
Other recent or upcoming additions as part of Building a Healthier Independence include the following:
• HEALTHIER FOOD CHOICES: Health Department officials are working with local restaurants to make the public more aware of which facilities offer calorie counts as part of their menus.
“We know that when you do see that, you often make a healthier choice,” Health Department Director Larry Jones said of calorie counts. “We think that we’re getting a salad that’s really healthy, but it’s really not because it had fried foods or other things added into it or the dressings are really rich.”
The inaugural “Veggin’ Out at the Oasis” is from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Adventure Oasis. Courtesy of Hy-Vee, healthy summertime foods will be available, and attendees can take a spin on the pedal-powered bike blender to make their own fresh fruit smoothie. The cost is $10, which includes swimming and food. Tickets are available at any Parks and Recreation center or by calling 816-325-6229.
• REDUCE TOBACCO USAGE: “No smoking” signs are now in place at playgrounds, athletic fields, tennis courts and other activity areas within the Parks and Recreation Department’s inventory.
The Health Department also is working with multihousing facilities in Independence to see which ones offer no-smoking units, Jones said. The department’s next round of smoking cessation classes, which begin Sept. 11 and continue on Tuesdays for six weeks, will actually be free of charge for participants, thanks to the grant. The program previously cost $50.
“Now that we are able to offer the classes free of charge, we hope that will allow more people to take advantage of the program,” Heinen said in a news release. “For smokers, the sooner they quit smoking, the sooner their bodies can begin to heal.”
• MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE: The Health Department is aiming to continue the popular The Mile Starts Here program in the fall, “whether we do them in the same way or spread out the five we’ve been doing to different locations,” Jones said.
The mile-long walking program that rotates to a different city park or trail each week continues at 9 a.m. Wednesday along the farmers market route on the Square. Walkers can meet at the corner of Truman Road and Main Street.
Also within the “physically active” component, GIS emergency locator signs were placed this spring along the Rock Creek Trail. If trail users become injured along the trail, they can give the coordinates to a 911 dispatcher, allowing emergency personnel to locate them more quickly.
“In follow-up grant opportunities, we do plan on adding those to other trails,” Urfer said, “including, through a partnership with Jackson County, to Little Blue Trace Trail.”
