CONWAY — An Horry County hospital just launched a campaign to promote healthier habits.
Conway Medical Center’s Healthy Horry initiative is designed to “implement evidence-based interventions” that focus on active living and healthy eating, according to a July 8 news release. CMC received a $750,000 grant from The Duke Endowment for the program.
Healthy Horry is part of endowment’s “Healthy People, Healthy Carolina” program that started in 2015. The initiative’s goal is to support people with health challenges such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
“CMC recognized the need for this type of initiative and led the charge to create Healthy Horry to positively impact the health of our region,” CMC President Brian Argo said in the release. “CMC was the first hospital in Horry County and was started in part with funding from The Duke Endowment. Over the last 96 years, we have been incredibly grateful to the Endowment for supporting CMC and helping us create happier, healthier lives for our patients.”
The local program’s first project is a one-year, $100,000 investment to create the Horry County Community Collaborative, a combination of local healthcare organizations and nonprofits. The coalition will be led by the United Way of Horry County.
The collaborative will offer coaching, online resources and data-driven support.
“We strive to support the health of all residents by focusing on healthy eating, active living and chronic disease prevention through advocacy, education and collaboration,” said Ashley Riddick, program coordinator of Healthy Horry. “The next steps for our coalition are to reach out to residents to find out what the real needs of the community are and to collaboratively work to resolve the barriers to access healthy food and increase physical activity opportunities for all ages.”
South Carolina ranked 38th among all states in overall health in America’s Health Rankings 2023 report.
“This new cohort of coalitions represents a major opportunity to address healthy behaviors and other factors that influence health and health outcomes in local communities,” said Chris Collins, associate director of health care at The Duke Endowment. “Healthy Horry is well-prepared to make lasting policy, systems and environmental changes that will help community members for decades to come.”
