When you think of collaboration, look no further than the corner of Madison and Chandler Streets in Danville. It is there where a piece of land owned by Carle Health transformed into an outdoor classroom for students to grow fruits and vegetables in gardens that benefit the entire community.
Thanks to the Vermilion County Community Health Collaborative and a grant from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, educational, civic, non-profit organizations and religious entities are coming together to work with county residents to improve health outcomes. Carle Health provided land for the community garden corner and the design with frames for raised beds, a shed, a water source and pergola) came from Danville Area Community College students.
“For Carle, the community garden is one way to come together with others in the community and make lasting impressions of good health not only today, but also for the future,” Timothy Meneely, DO, medical director, Carle Medical Office Center at The Riverfront, said.
About 20 school children per week in Project Success of Vermilion County tend to the garden during the summer and do some afterschool work as well when they are not attending Danville High School, Southview Upper Elementary School or North Ridge Middle School in Danville. CRIS Rural Mass Transit District in Danville provides transportation for students working in the garden.
Located across the street from the Carle Medical Office Center at the Riverfront, the community garden has strawberries, watermelons, chives, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry trees, pear trees and even some flowers growing.
“I could not be prouder of these kids. They do a great job,” Project Success Coordinator Joanna Pickering
said.
She said the youths took a course through the University of Illinois Extension Service to learn about plants, now they are growing garden plants and when plants are harvested, they will learn how to harvest the vegetables and make things like salsa.
Zyerell Fornan, a seventh grader at North Ridge Middle School in Danville, said, “I garden at my neighbor’s house and here I learned how to weed. Cherries are my favorite in the garden.”
Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. even stopped by one day to thank the students for the work they are doing. “I appreciate you very much. This makes the community much better.”
The community garden is one aspect of Carle Health’s involvement in Vermilion County through the collaborative. Community Health Workers assistance helps doctor-referred patients connect with healthier lifestyles while Healthy Beginnings helps babies get a good start in the first years of life. Also, Carle has a Mobile Health Clinic making stops throughout Vermilion County and there are plans for a mobile market to provide access to fresh produce as well as a van to support behavioral health needs.
The entire Vermilion County Community Health Collaborative includes: Carle Health (including Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center), Crosspoint Human Services; DBA Heavenly Square Grocery; New Life Church of Faith; Step Up; Danville Area Community College; Vermilion Advantage; Danville School District 118; CRIS Healthy Aging; Vermilion County Public Health Department; East Central Illinois Community Action Agency; and the city of Danville.
Categories: Staying Healthy, Redefining Healthcare, Community
Tags: Carle at The Riverfront, community health initiatives, , Danville, Vermilion County