Out of 102 counties in Kansas, the2017 county health rankings showed Wyandotte County is ranked at the bottom of the list at 101.
But leaders in the county are trying to change that through different health initiatives. One of them is called “Walk Central Avenue.”
With this program, there are walking signs all throughout Central Avenue, showing how far of a walking distance certain streets and places are.
Leaders with the Central Avenue Betterment Association (CABA) say this new program will give residents a small step in the right direction.
“Health represents life. If we're not healthy, we're not going to be able to go places,” Chair of CABA Edgar Galicia said.
Galicia said the vision is for Central Avenue to become a destination site.
“All of the businesses are really making a great investment into their offering, and we want the whole community to enjoy all of this. If we don't start walking Central Avenue, we'll never get there,” he said.
Wyandotte County is ranked among the lowest in the state when it comes to health, with factors ranging from adult obesity to physical inactivity.
But with these small changes, Galicia said he hopes it can make a big difference.
“Moving away from the easy decision of just jumping in the car and driving over, we are telling people about the specifics of walking and how easy it is to walk from one point to another,” Galicia said. “Walking is one of those ways where we don't invest in a lot of action, where we don't invest in a lot of money, a couple of tennis shoes and out we go. We can walk and get healthy ourselves.”
Wyandotte County will be hosting its 13th annual community health fair on Friday, May 12th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the JFK Rec Center located at 1310 N 10th Street.
