(Radio Iowa) - A pilot program aims to increase the overall health of residents in the town of Manchester and in Van Buren County.
Experts are collecting extensive data on the two eastern Iowa communities so they eventually know how to make the most strategic investments in public health. Jason Henderson, vice president of Iowa State University’s Extension and Outreach, hopes the program has long-lasting effects. Edith Parker, dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, says setting up the plan will take several years as it needs to be carefully plotted out for the best impact.
The program is led by the Iowa Rural Vitality Coalition, which is made up of experts from Iowa’s three Regents universities, Wellmark and the Iowa Rural Development Council. It was launched in April.