Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe (left) and Kosciusko Community YMCA CEO Jim Swanson speak at the HealthFirst Kosciusko Advisory Committee meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 4. InkFreeNews Photography by Leah Sander.
Written by Leah Sander
ink free news
WARSAW — Seniors will be able to attend exercise classes in several towns in Kosciuszko County if a proposal submitted to the Health First Kosciuszko Advisory Committee is finally approved.
At its meeting Wednesday, Dec. 4, the commission heard initial information about the classes from Kosciusko Community YMCA CEO Jim Swanson and Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe.
A survey of the local community revealed that leaders in Milford, Mentone and Pierceton were interested in introducing classes for seniors.
Swanson and Roe said the class probably won’t be held until November and will likely run until spring or summer 2026. They said leaders in those communities said seniors have other opportunities to exercise locally during the warmer months.
Swanson and Roe said they also hope to partner with Kosciuszko District Bus Service to transport seniors from Syracuse to Milford, Sidney to Pierceton and elsewhere, allowing more people to attend classes.
The committee approved allowing Mr. Swanson and Mr. Roe to consider the formal proposal together.
Among other duties, the committee will also:
- Approval was granted to allow the Northern Indiana Maternal and Child Health Network to provide sexually transmitted infection testing, HIV services and harm reduction measures in the county at a cost of $84,000.
- Approval has been granted to advertise the Kosciuszko County Health Department’s Early Start Prenatal Clinic in English on two local radio stations for periods of 6 months and 3 months at a total cost of $5,400. The commission also approved allowing another station to run ads in Spanish for three months for a fee of $1,680.
- Lauri Westerhof was approved to serve as school health officer at a cost of approximately $78,000, with the possibility of an additional $10,000 if needed. She liaised between the health department and Sacred Heart Elementary School, Lakeland Christian School, Warsaw Community Schools, Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation, Whitco Community School and Wawasee Community School Corporation. I’m supposed to take it.
- It was agreed that efforts would be made to take the above approved measures from the 2024 budget, rather than from the funds allocated for 2025.
School health coordination measures, radio advertising, sexually transmitted disease testing and related services must also be approved by the Kosciusko County Board of Health and the Kosciusko County Board of Commissioners before implementation.
The commission’s next meeting will be held Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 6 p.m., in the old courtroom of the Kosciusko County Courthouse.
