The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Thursday, approved a request by Teddi Grindberg with Healthy Cass County, to place signs or banners in the courthouse promoting community wellness.

A sample of the new wellness signs to be rotated every 3 months at the courthouse.

The signs are made possible as part of a 5-year, $88,000 per year, Community Transformation grant. The grant comes from the Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention which was funded through a number of states, including Iowa. In Iowa, there were 26 counties chosen for the grant, which focuses on community wellness. Funds for the grant flow through Cass County.

Grindberg, whose office is at the Nishna Valley YMCA in Atlantic,  says there are a number of different wellness aspects that are focused on locally. The first year, 2012, focused primarily on the City of Atlantic. But the idea is to move the focus from community-to-community in Cass County, with emphasis on several areas. That includes: smoke-free multi-unit housing; chronic disease management, and work site wellness.

Teddi says they are also working with Live Healthy Iowa and other ways to make the communities in the county more physically active. Another aspect of the Community Transformation Grant, is information placed at strategic locations on an on-going basis, geared toward promoting health awareness, such as high blood pressure, etc.  She says new messages will be placed at different locations every three months or so.

The messages will be on easels in the courthouse, so as to not mar the finish on the walls.