The Kentucky Delta Rural Project (KDRP) is funded by a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Rural Health Policy. It is administered through Trover Health System located in Madisonville, KY.
KDRP's service area is rural, large8729 sq. miles or approaching the size of New Jerseyand located in the far western end of the state. The 20 counties within the service area include Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, McLean, Muhlenberg, Todd, Trigg, Union, and Webster. Populations in these counties range from 4,000 to 73,000 and total close to half million (458,276 in 2010).
KDRP principal activities include a school wellness initiative for elementary schools throughout its service area, community health education and promotion, and prescription-assist support for low income persons.
School Wellness Initiative
- Reduce childhood obesity in public elementary and schools.
- Promote the health, safety, and well being of school children.
- 60 elementary schools in KDRPs 20-county service area are participants.
- 60 schools have formed Wellness Committees and appointed School Champions (e.g., teachers of various disciplines and school nurses, school counselors, and/or school principals).
- Featured in KY Rural Health Associations Winter 2011 Rural Health Update Newsletter.
- Received tri-state TV coverage on evening news seven times and twice reported in the Louisville Courier Journal.
TAKE10!® Component (Ideally 20 minutes a day of physical activity in classrooms)
- TAKE10!®: A science-based curriculum that integrates short physical activity with core curricula, and children learn about basic health principles and the bodys organ systems.
- 26,509 elementary school students engage in up to 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous classroom physical activity 4 times per week.
- 75% of schools participating in Deltas School Wellness Initiative increased their 2007 and 2008 CATS (i.e., state academic tests) scores demonstrating that 20 minutes of physical activity in the classroom will not adversely affect academic performance.
Delta Tours Component (4th Grade)
- Promote healthy choices and behaviors in a multimedia instructional format appealing to kids. Presentations include relevant, age-appropriate topics focusing on good health and risk reduction, importance of physical activity, good nutrition, adequate sleep, oral and personal hygiene, and avoidance of risky behaviors such as smoking, use of licit and illicit substances, and drugs.
- In the 2010-2011 school year Tours were held in 18 different counties:
- 42 elementary schools were served.
- 4,060 fourth grade students and 154 teachers
- were present.
- 7 individual health and social service organizations participated.
School Presentations
For Teachers
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TAKE10!®: Training and retraining on using the curriculum in the classroom.
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Anti-bullying: Bullying jeopardizes a schools ability to provide a safe and supportive learning environment. It can undermine a students physical and emotional well being and ability to learn. Instruction focuses on kinds of bullying that take place, the adverse effects on victims and schools, and offers practical strategies to prevent bullying and to intervene effectively when it occurs.
For Parents
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Childhood obesity: The adverse health and psycho-social consequences it holds for children.
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School bullying: Focuses on children most at-risk, behaviors children often exhibit if they are victims of bullying; and effective intervention.
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Internet Safety: Training to keep parents informedabout online dangers and childrens online activities. Topics include statistical highlights, social networking, sexual exploitation, criminal activity, and appropriate supervision and monitoring of childrens internet use. Also discussed is the use of cell phones; notably texting, sexting, and the transmission of images.
For Students
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Anti-bullying: An age-appropriate, multimedia instructional presentation on bullying in its many forms: what is bullying, why it is harmful, how to respond to bullies, and what to do if experiencing or witnessing bullying.
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Internet Safety: Age appropriate, multimedia presentations to reduce child victimization online especially as it relates to sexual exploitation and harassment. Topics include on-line risks, avoiding the posting of personal information, safety tips, cyber bullying, and real life stories. Also discussed is the use of cell phones, notably texting, sexting, and the sending of images.
Community Outreach
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Mentoring Programs: Presentations, recruitment, training, and technical assistance provided to schools and community organizations seeking to develop mentoring programs for children K through high school.
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Drug Toss: Youngsters are turning to prescription drugs because of easy access to them. They mistakenly think they are safe because they are made by pharmaceutical firms and prescribed by physicians. Drug Toss educates local communities about the increased use of prescription drugs by youngsters, the dangers involved, and offers the public a safe, ecologically friendly way to dispose of unused prescription or over-the-counter medications.
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Delta Medication Assist Program (DMAP): Provided electronic Rx Assistance database licensure for three participating site in Hopkins, Todd and Trigg counties. An estimated $6.4 million value of medications distributed and 3,000+ clients served.
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