What is Live Well Winona?
Live Well Winona is a community health hub, seeking to engage the entire community in a culture of health and wellness improvement through lifestyle changes.
Where did the idea originate?
Formally founded in the summer of 2011 by a generous grant from Will and Shirley Oberton, the concept of Live Well Winona was developed the year before from a simple question – was there a possibility of improving the health of Winona?
Wanting to encourage their neighbors to live their healthiest life possible, with the realization that ‘health’ would look different for each individual, a core group of vested community members came together to create this synergistic hub. Combining their personal priority for healthy living with their passion and energy for the Winona community, the primary individuals began to invest in this shared passion and vision of a Healthy Community. The engagement of additional highly motivated individuals from diverse organizations in Winona was sought by inviting them to participate in discussions on the notion of ‘health’ and ‘wellness’, helping frame the collective approach of the concept.
Live Well Winona resulted from the shared desire to make a difference in the Winona community by promoting all that Winona has to offer, and by making existing opportunities and resources more accessible for everyone in the community. Live Well Winona has a desire to help all residents of Winona live better and healthier lives.
In October of 2017, Live Well Winona underwent an exciting structural change. Winona Health was a founding partner of Live Well Winona, and in an effort to leverage our limited resources for greater impact in our community, Live Well Winona became a department of Winona Health. We have aligned objectives and goals regarding advancing health improvement and well-being in our community.
Why focus on health and wellness?
Over 50% of all illness and injuries in the last third of your life can be eliminated by changing your lifestyle (…). Seventy percent of premature death is lifestyle-related.”
~ Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D. Authors of Younger Next Year, 2005
Winona has some major health concerns and risk factors. View the Winona Factsheet to learn more.
No one wants to go through either the physical suffering or the financial burden of being unhealthy. So how can we counteract, respond to, and even prevent these problems? By establishing a holistic approach to well-being, we acknowledge that a harmony between the following core dimensions is essential in achieving well-rounded and lasting health: physical, social, intellectual, occupational, and spiritual health.
How do YOU benefit?
Live Well Winona is dedicated to helping pave the way to healthier lifestyles by focusing on:
- generating awareness through public announcements, the use of our website, and extensive community collaboration
- promoting and supporting existing programs, services and resources via our website, events and activities, and other community efforts
- filling unmet needs of the community by creating new programs and initiatives through innovative partnerships within the community
Because the healthy choice is not always the easiest choice, we created this website as the first of many tactics and techniques to help you become the healthiest version of yourself possible. The prescription for a better life is never as simple as a case of “to eat or not to eat”, and will vary based on the individual. This website is a navigational and informational tool for you. Using our website is the first step toward a healthier you. By gaining access to the information and increasing your awareness of our community’s health-related resources, you are already starting to break down barriers and excuses that stand between you and your improved health. A common reason not to get involved in something is because you don’t know it exists or you don’t know where to find reliable information on it. This website focuses on consolidating and categorizing all of the decentralized information, making it easier for you to see what is available for you.
Please join us in our commitment to engage, enhance and enrich the lives of the Winona community through Healthy habits. Better lives. Learn how by exploring the abundance of health-related resources and opportunities that Winona has through our website.