Late summer of 2011, nearly 20 Shelby County stakeholders met to complete the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “Local Public Health System Assessment” facilitated by Purdue University. The assessment is a nationally recognized, evidence-based public health system evaluation tool. The evaluation process provided participants with an understanding of how Shelby County’s healthcare and public health systems, and community organizations relate with one another to provide essential services to the county. It focused on inter-agency communication, education and prevention, community partnerships, connection of people to needed services, and development of data-driven community strategies for addressing the health and well-being of the County’s residents.

The consensus of the participants was that a public health coalition was needed in order to develop strategies for addressing Shelby County’s health challenges

In 2011 biometric data from industries served by Major Health Partners confirmed what the 2012 County Health Rankings reported: 26% of the adult population smoked, 36% were obese, and 33% were physically inactive. Of Indiana counties, Shelby County ranked 82nd in Health Behaviors – behaviors that contribute to chronic health problems. Added to this were the unprecedented health and wellness needs of aging residents who were projected to be over one fifth of the county’s population by 2025. Shelby County was in the midst of a health crisis – one that was only going to worsen unless steps were taken to help healthy living be more available at every level to all of our residents.

In January 2012, interested persons convened and quickly organized around compiling essential health resources in accessible paper and electronic formats. The larger purpose of the coalition was envisioned and the stakeholders came to identify themselves as a community health coalition – Healthy Shelby County. A logo was commissioned and a website was developed. Relationships evolved with healthy community coalitions in Bartholomew and Johnson Counties, with the Indiana State Department of Health Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, and with the Community Benefits Department of the Community Health Network.

From 2013 – 2015 Healthy Shelby County worked with a community health consultant who guided the coalition in understanding the challenges of community health and in defining the coalition’s direction. Subsequently, from 2014 – 2016, Healthy Shelby County hosted a series of Community Leadership meetings for the purpose of increasing awareness about the evidence-based policy, systems and environmental change strategies that improve community health.  At each multi-sector forum, 35 to 65 leaders and stakeholders gathered to learn about the status of Shelby County’s health and to hear from experts about the impact on community health from

• Built Environment
• Collective Impact
• Complete Streets
• Corporate Pro-Health Business Decisions and Practices
• Food Systems
• Funding Mechanisms
• Nutrition
• Placemaking
• Roles of Mayors, Schools and Community Health Coalitions
• Tobacco and Vaping Use and Marketing
• Walkability

These leaders also worked together to envision a healthy Shelby County and to identify assets and barriers to healthy living.  The community health leadership meetings and the thoughtful work of the participants further defined the direction of Healthy Shelby County and built the foundation for its vision and goals.

In support of Healthy Shelby County’s work, the coalition was awarded grants from the Blue River Community Foundation, Major Hospital, Shelby County Health Department, Shelby County Drug Free Coalition, City of Shelbyville, and Health by Design.

A debt of gratitude is owed those first few coalition members who were fueled by data and the conviction that action must be taken to positively impact the health of Shelby County’s residents.  The core participants in that first year included representatives from Major Health Partners, Shelby County Health Department, Community Aspiration, Gallahue Behavioral Health, Shelby Community Health Center, Shelby County Purdue Extension Service, Shelby Senior Services, Shelbyville Central Schools, Shelbyville Today and a few concerned citizens. 

Action Teams focused on Healthy Eating, Tobacco, Active Living, and Diversity evolved in the Healthy Shelby County coalition.  Some of the coalition’s work included

• Get Healthy Here Signage for Health-Promoting Events and Food Offerings
• Active Living
  • Trail Sign and Markers on the Intelliplex Campus
  • Adult Exercise Equipment on the Blue River Trail
  • Brochure of Biking and Walking Opportunities Throughout the County
  • Get Healthy Here Signage on Pedestrian Paths and Park Entrances
  • National Walking Day
  • Walk with a Doc, Walking Wednesdays, and Farmers Market Walks
  • Chalk Art Installations on the Intelliplex and Blue River Trails
  • Community Bicycle Rides with Mayor of Shelbyville
  • Shaded Benches Along Progress Parkway and Intelliplex Drive
  • Partnering with Livable Communities to Rehabilitate and Complete gaps in City Sidewalks
• Healthy Food
  • Promoting Healthier Food Donations to Area Food Pantries
  • Tip Cards for Making Typical Food Pantry Items Healthier
  • Food and Hygiene Pantry at the Excel Center
  • Infrastructure for Excel Students to Access Lunches at Salvation Army
  • Fresh Healthy Vending Machines
  • Get Healthy Here Farmers Market Event and Market Bucks
  • Increasing Farmers Market Vendors’ Acceptance of WIC and Senior Farmers Market Vouchers
  • WIC Farmers Market Vouchers Distributed at the Shelby County Farmers Market
  • Double SNAP at Shelby County Farmers Market
  • Promoting Workplace Healthy Food Policies
  • Investing-in and Promoting Accessible Community Gardens
  • Advocating for Inclusion of Health Promotion in the City of Shelbyville’s Comprehensive Plan
• Tobacco
  • Reviewing Workplace Tobacco Policies and Advocating for Inclusion of Electronic Nicotine Devices
  • Advocating to Expand the City of Shelbyville’s No Smoking Policy to Include Parks, School Bus Stops, and ShelbyGo Pick-up Points
  • Securing Smokelyzers to Support Cessation at Tobacco-Free Events and at Major Health Partners
• Diversity
  • Community Education Events for Black History Month
  • Diversity Awareness Events at First Fridays
  • Community Conversation About Diversity

By the beginning of 2020, over 50 representatives from government, nonprofits, adult education, health care, social services, public health, prevention, behavioral health, youth services, public schools, small business, industry, older adults, local food systems, disabilities, faith communities, community corrections, and concerned citizens were participating in Healthy Shelby County.

The Healthy Shelby County coalition was not immune from the disruption of the pandemic as leaders and participants navigated new challenges within their organizations, assumed different roles, and moved out of Shelby County.  Imaginative ways of connecting, learning, and addressing needs emerged, as well as new or reinvigorated community-based groups and roles such as: a re-envisioned council on aging – Shelby County Active Aging Coalition (SCAAC); a coalition addressing the needs of youth and families – Shelby Accessing Social Services (S.A.S.S.); a council assessing needs and optimizing resources to reduce recidivism – Justice Reinvestment Advisory Council (JRAC); City of Shelbyville Community Advocate Navigator; and Major Health Partner’s Director of Behavioral Health and Health Equity. These and other community organizations and advocates now wear the mantle of promoting and improving community health in Shelby County.

Over ten years after the launch of Healthy Shelby County, the components that either create barriers to health or support health remain the same.  Community-based organizations have often understood that the health of individuals is impacted not just by genetics and lifestyle, but also by their social circumstances. As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid focus on the social circumstances impacting health – commonly called social determinants of health – healthcare systems have been developing processes for assessing and addressing these barriers.  The well-being of Shelby County’s residents depends upon access to safe, affordable housing; reliable sources of nutritional food; dependable transportation; health care; child care; elder care; behavioral health care; supportive relationships; personal and community safety; and safe places to play and be active for all ages.

In 2023 Healthy Shelby County became a 501c3 as well as the name of the new Non-Profit Center being developed.  The Healthy Shelby County Non-Profit Center will bring together organizations and services to more efficiently address the social determinants of health.  While the table may be new around which participants gather, the work continues through collectively and imaginatively advocating for health-supporting policies, systems, and environments.