Harrison County CES

County Emphasis:

Improving quality of life and healthy living

Concentration 1:

Health and Wellbeing

Situation:

The opportunities and resources available to support the health and well-being of adults and families in Kentucky vary widely. Disparities in health-promoting knowledge, resources, and infrastructure contribute to higher rates of chronic health conditions and lower quality of life. Prevention, early detection, and care are essential to maintain and/or improve quality of life. Yet, this burden is often placed on individuals to navigate the healthcare system and traditional public health entities. Additionally, for decades, little attention has been given to the external factors that undoubtedly affect health such as access to care, education, nutritious foods, and safe physical spaces. These same issues and concerns were echoed throughout the 2023 UK Cooperative Extension Community Assessment. Within the top 15 priority issues identified by Kentuckians, “ensuring individuals and families have access to affordable nutritious foods” was #4 and “reducing youth obesity through nutrition education and/or exercise” was #8. Guided by the Cooperative Extension’s National Framework for Health Equity and Well-being, UK Extension aims to become a critical public health partner for addressing disparities in health-promoting knowledge, resources, and infrastructure through comprehensive health, nutrition, and wellness programming that supports adult physical health and well-being.

County Situation:

The Harrison County Extension Office in Kentucky offers various programs and resources to support health and well-being in the local community. Some of the primary ways it assists in this area are through educational and hands-on learning with programs offered through a variety of methods, trained staff, and throughout the whole year. While Harrison County, KY ranks just above average for the state and national statistics for population health and wellbeing and community living conditions, improvements must occur to move Harrison County's ranking towards a healthier ranking (County Health Rankings, 2025). 

 

With the Nutrition Education Program (NEP), the Extension Office provides classes and materials that teach individuals and families how to make healthy food choices, cook nutritious meals, and understand portion control. These classes are often hands-on, teaching practical skills that participants can apply immediately.

 

One area of concern with a Harrison County ranking is the low 57% of residents that claim they have access to exercise opportunities as compared to the state's 70% and nation's 84% (County Health Rankings, 2025). The Extension Office offers physical activity classes, such as walking groups or fitness classes, to promote regular exercise and an active lifestyle. These programs encourage community members to meet physical activity guidelines, which support cardiovascular health, strength, and overall wellness for individuals of all ages.

 

The Harrison County mental health provider ratio to community members is significantly higher (1700:1) as compared to the state (320:1) and nation (300:1) (County Health Rankings, 2025). Therefore additional resources are extremely valuable supplements helping fill the void. Workshops on mental health awareness and stress reduction techniques are becoming more common in extension programs. They help community members learn strategies for coping with stress, managing mental health challenges, and improving resilience, particularly important in rural areas where mental health resources may be limited.

 

The Harrison County Extension Office supports community health initiatives and outreach often partnering with local organizations for health fairs, screenings, and wellness events. These outreach activities provide free or low-cost access to health information, screenings for blood pressure or cholesterol, and resources for a healthier lifestyle.

 

By offering these programs, the Harrison County Extension Office empowers residents to take control of their health, adopt healthier habits, and improve their overall well-being.

Long-Term Outcomes:

• Routinely meeting guidelines and recommendations for health behaviors that promote wellness and quality of life
• Community environments that equitably support health-promoting behaviors where people live, learn, work, and play
• Increased availability and accessibility to community-based health resources
• Reduced rate and burden of non-communicable chronic diseases and injury
• Decreased health disparity prevalence in Kentucky counties
• Improved quality of life

Intermediate Outcomes:

• Increased health-promoting behaviors that support family, community, and occupational health and safety
• Increased and/or strengthened partnerships to address community health or safety issues
• Increased organizational/site/community support for health-promoting behaviors that equitably address community health or safety issues

Initial Outcomes:

• Health promoting behaviors include but are not to, regular physical activity, safe preparation and consumption of nutritious foods, vaccinations, moderate or no consumption of alcohol, avoiding/reducing/eliminating tobacco use, health screenings, sleep, stress management, health literacy, pest prevention/reduction/management, and occupational safety.

• Increased knowledge about health-promoting behaviors.
• Increased awareness of community resources to support health-promoting behaviors.
• Increased confidence in making decisions related to health-promoting behaviors.
• Improved skills related to health-promoting behaviors

Evaluation:

Outcome	Outcome: Increased knowledge about health-promoting behaviors (e.g., how to prepare nutritious foods, benefits of routine vaccinations/screenings) (initial)
Indicator	Number of participants who reported/demonstrates improved knowledge, skills, opinions, or confidence regarding a health-promoting behavior as a result of a participating in a health and well-being program
Method	Observation by Agent or self-reported surveys
Timeline	Post-program/curricula survey administration

 

Outcome	Increased health-promoting behaviors that support family and community health (e.g., physical activity, consuming nutritious foods, routine vaccinations and screenings) (intermediate)
Indicator	Number of physical activity minutes recorded by a participant   Number of participants who reported consuming more nutritious foods and/or beverages   Number of participants who reported a change in a health-promoting behavior as a result of participating in a health and well-being program
Method	Self-reported surveys
Timeline	Repeated self-reported surveys and/or follow-up evaluations to capture change over time

 

Outcome	Increased and/or strengthened partnerships to address community health issues (intermediate)
Indicator	Number of community partners (community organizations, institutions, agencies, or individuals) worked with to offer health and well-being programming in the community
Method	Agent record of community partnerships utilized in programming
Timeline	Ongoing; Each partnership should be reported once per reporting period

 

Outcome	Medium Term
Indicator	Number of youth who reported that they have used knowledge and/or skills learned in health and wellbeing programs to complete a project.      Number of youth who reported that they have used nutrition as a way to improve their overall health.     Number of youth who reported that they have taken steps to pursue gaining more knowledge for a job in health and wellbeing based on their interests.
Method	Standard Evaluation for 4-H Health and Wellbeing: Survey
Timeline	End of Club/Program Year

Learning Opportunities:

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	Cooking Classes, Breads Class, Food Preservation classes, small kitchen appliances, cast iron cooking
Content or Curriculum	Food preservation workshops, safe and proper food handling, food demonstrations
Inputs	Extension agents and staff, volunteers, Extension resources
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	NEP (Nutrition Education Program)
Content or Curriculum	NEP approved curriculum
Inputs	NEP Sr. Assistant, UK specialists
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	5K, walking challenges, longest day of play, hikes, bingocize, honeybee hustle
Content or Curriculum	Physical activity resources, waivers, bingocize
Inputs	Extension staff, FCS, 4-H, Main Fitness, volunteers, HMH
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	Blood Drive, Life Screening
Content or Curriculum	Blood drive and life screening resources
Inputs	Blood drive and life screening coordinators/partners
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	Holiday Foods
Content or Curriculum	Foods and recipes
Inputs	Extension FCS & staff, homemakers, volunteers
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	4-Hers
Project or Activity	4-H Cloverbud Cooking, Beginner Cooking, and Advanced Cooking
Content or Curriculum	Kitchen safety, cooking skills, county fair projects, serving others
Inputs	Extension staff, Extension Office and kitchen
Date(s)	September - April

 

Audience	Farmers Market
Project or Activity	Trainings for farmers market vendors
Content or Curriculum	Curriculum for WIC and Senior Vouchers, Produce Best Practices Training
Inputs	Extension staff
Date(s)	February – October

 

Audience	Drug Court
Project or Activity	Nutrition and Finance Education
Content or Curriculum	NEP curriculum, MoneyWise, Recovering your finances
Inputs	Extension agents and staff, volunteers
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Recovery Connections
Project or Activity	Committee Council for connecting substance use prevention communities
Content or Curriculum	Flyers, resources, updates
Inputs	Extension NEP and FCS, community partners
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	The recovering community
Project or Activity	The Breakfast Club and evening social events
Content or Curriculum	NEP and FCS resources
Inputs	Extension NEP and FCS, community partners
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	Newsletters, Radio, Social Media, Cynthiana Democrat
Content or Curriculum	Program promotion
Inputs	Extension agents and staff, WCYN staff, Democrat staff
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	Health Fair, Go Red, Women’s Health
Content or Curriculum	Preventative education and screenings
Inputs	Harrison Memorial Hospital, HC Health Dept, Extension staff and resources, UK specialists
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	Harvesting the Holidays, Honey Festival, clothing drive
Content or Curriculum	Promotion and community support
Inputs	Extension staff, volunteers, community partners/committees
Date(s)	Fall

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	Chamber Board, Lions Club, Rural Health Committee, Family Resource Committee
Content or Curriculum	Serve on local boards as Extension connection
Inputs	Extension FCS, Chamber, Lions Club, HMH, Family Resource
Date(s)	All Year

 

Audience	Elementary Aged Youth
Project or Activity	21st Century School Enrichment
Content or Curriculum	Extension educational resources and activities
Inputs	Extension Staff
Date(s)	September - April

 

 

 

 

 

Audience	Public
Project or Activity	Trunk or Treat and Giant Pumpkin
Content or Curriculum	UK resources
Inputs	Extension staff, volunteers
Date(s)	October

 

 

 

Evaluation:

Outcome	Outcome: Increased knowledge about health-promoting behaviors (e.g., how to prepare nutritious foods, benefits of routine vaccinations/screenings) (initial)
Indicator	Number of participants who reported/demonstrates improved knowledge, skills, opinions, or confidence regarding a health-promoting behavior as a result of a participating in a health and well-being program
Method	Observation by Agent or self-reported surveys
Timeline	Post-program/curricula survey administration

 

Outcome	Increased health-promoting behaviors that support family and community health (e.g., physical activity, consuming nutritious foods, routine vaccinations and screenings) (intermediate)
Indicator	Number of physical activity minutes recorded by a participant   Number of participants who reported consuming more nutritious foods and/or beverages   Number of participants who reported a change in a health-promoting behavior as a result of participating in a health and well-being program
Method	Self-reported surveys
Timeline	Repeated self-reported surveys and/or follow-up evaluations to capture change over time

 

Outcome	Increased and/or strengthened partnerships to address community health issues (intermediate)
Indicator	Number of community partners (community organizations, institutions, agencies, or individuals) worked with to offer health and well-being programming in the community
Method	Agent record of community partnerships utilized in programming
Timeline	Ongoing; Each partnership should be reported once per reporting period

 

Outcome	Medium Term
Indicator	Number of youth who reported that they have used knowledge and/or skills learned in health and wellbeing programs to complete a project.      Number of youth who reported that they have used nutrition as a way to improve their overall health.     Number of youth who reported that they have taken steps to pursue gaining more knowledge for a job in health and wellbeing based on their interests.
Method	Standard Evaluation for 4-H Health and Wellbeing: Survey
Timeline	End of Club/Program Year