The goal: ‘Building a Healthier Polk’
PHOTO PROVIDED
Accepting a proclamation for the" Building a Healthier Polk Initiative" are left to right: Colleen Mangan, Polk County Health Department; Linda Hawbaker, Polk County Health Department; Nat West, Community Leader representing Winter Haven Hospital;
Kay Harris-Fields, School Board Member; Debbie Zimmerman, Polk County School Board Wellness Manager; James Jeffrey, Polk County Health Department; Kathleen Wright, Polk County School Board TRST PE K-12.
Polk County, especially its schools, are often recognized for the things they do right. For example, on Tuesday, the Polk School District was recognized for the third year, for its advanced placement academic program. Last year, Polk was number one in this category.
The board heard about another top ranking for Polk, however, which was not so positive: Polk County is number seven in the nation in obesity rates. To be specific, “Lakeland/Winter Haven has been deemed the seventh most obese Metropolitan Service area in the country,” according to a presentation by Polk Vision, the Polk County Health Department and the district’s wellness department.
