Live Wright is an organization that was created in 2009 when Wright County Public Health received a Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) grant from the Minnesota Department of Health. Live Wright is committed to helping our communities become healthier by evidence based strategies that allow for our environment to help make Healthy Choices the Easy Choices!
SHIP was created to improve the health of Minnesotans by enhancing patient's health system experiences and outcomes, and contain, if not reduce, the rising cost of health care in Minnesota due to obesity and tobacco related diseases. This work came on the heels of less than favorable statistics; 63% of Minnesota adults are overweight or obese, and less than 25% are consuming the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. Only 50% of adults are meeting the recommendations for physical activity and 16.8% are currently smokers. When seeing these statistics it is no surprise that $4.2 billion in medical costs are attributed to obesity and tobacco use among adults in Minnesota. What is even more shocking is that it isn't just the adults, but children are trending towards these statistics as well. Only 61% of high school boys and 45% of high school girls participate in recommended daily physical activity, less than 22% of students eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables and a disturbing 10% of middle school students and 29% of high school students use tobacco! The work that SHIP is doing is important and vital to the future of Minnesota residents! We want all Minnesotans to have access to fresh produce, so they are able to consume their recommended servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and that they feel safe, supported, and have access to physically activity opportunities.
