The Southwest Utah Public Health Department has been a proud supporter of the Gold Medal School program since it’s beginning in 2001.
The vision of this program, “A tradition of health in all Utah schools”, relates to the mission of the health department which is : “ To protect the community’s health through the promotion of wellness and the prevention of disease” .
There are Gold Medal Schools in every county of our five county District. So far, we have targeted the elementary schools but we hope soon to expand to the middle school level.
Please see the link below for more information.
http://health.utah.gov/hearthighway/gms/
Mentors come from local universities and from the school PTA. A small stipend is paid to the mentor which is much appreciated but the most important benefit to the mentors is that the experience helps most with future jobs. Being a mentor is very exciting and challenging. To learn more about this position please contact Sarah Rigby, Health Educator at the Utah Department of Health in the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program. You can contact her at: srigby@utah.gov
Obesity is the underlying cause of the two major killers in our society. Both heart disease and stroke have their cause in unhealthy lifestyles. The Gold Medal School program strives to change the environment in the schools so that the children make healthy choices regarding physical activity and nutrition. Utah has a new statewide plan to battle obesity. For more information check out the link below:
