City of Blackwell residents encouraged to take Tobacco Settlement survey

Officials with the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust’s Healthy Living Program are asking for input from the public as they work toward creating healthier environments in Kay County, according to a news release from the organization.

Local residents can offer their health-related opinions, concerns and insights by taking a community health needs assessment survey, according to Jenny Creech, lead coordinator of the TSET Healthy Living Program in Kay County.

“Your experiences and opinions on health environments in our communities really matter, and we want to hear from you,” Creech said.

The survey can be accessed by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Kay_CommunitySurvey.

Improving the health of residents in targeted geographic locations throughout Oklahoma is a priority for a new TSET HLP five-year cycle that started on July 1, TSET officials said.

TSET awarded grants to 35 agencies, including Oklahoma State University Community Wellness, in the spring.

The grant’s first year is dedicated to gathering health-related data from U.S. Census information and other research-based sources, and by seeking input from community partners and the health needs survey. That information will be used to create a localized data-driven plan to improve the long-term health of area residents, officials said.

“Hearing about your experiences with access to healthy foods and physical activity and to tobacco-free environments through this survey will help us create a comprehensive wellness plan that fits and works best locally in Kay County,” Creech said.

In recent years, TSET has invested more than $1 million in Kay County during the Healthy Living Program’s first cycle, which worked with city, school and business leaders and community organizations to adopt tobacco-free and wellness policies, and to improve health environments. The program gave $84,000 to local schools and communities through grants.

The program also supports research at the Stephenson Cancer Center, the TSET Health Promotion Research Center and the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research. Studies show that TSET funding over the years has contributed to saving at least 42,000 lives and more than $1.2 billion in direct medical costs in Oklahoma, officials said.

For more information about the community needs survey or the TSET Healthy Living Program, contact Creech via email at jenny.creech@okstate.edu or via phone at 580-765-2476.