In an effort to bring the community together and make Blair County healthier, the Healthy Blair County Coalition held its fifth annual Let’s Move Blair County Day at Lakemont Park on Thursday.

Promoting healthy lifestyles and raising awareness for health-related community resources is a goal of the coalition, according to Coleen Heim, director, noting the local movement is modeled after former first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign.

Every three years the coalition conducts a community needs health assessment where 3,000 random households are surveyed on their concerns regarding Blair County. One of the top answers is always “the need to be healthier,” Heim said.

According to a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in 2010, Blair County’s health weighed in at No. 63 out of the state’s

67 counties. In March of 2021, they were ranked 39th, she said.

“We want to continue to make Blair County healthier,” Heim said. “Not just physically but economically, socially, emotionally, mentally.”

Among the resources available to local residents is the CHIP program, said Scott Crawford from UPMC for Kids. This year, the Children’s Health Insurance Program marks its 15th anniversary in Pennsylvania. He said that despite resources like CHIP, about 4% of children remain uninsured in Pennsylvania.

Crawford handed out information and talked about the CHIP program to event attendees.

He also handed out healthy meal and snack recipes, some of which were geared toward picky eaters, he said.

At another booth, the YMCA provided educational material on COVID-19 and information regarding the Y’s evidence-based health intervention programs.

Other activities at the event included a free throw competition held by the Penn State Altoona men’s basketball team and games of cornhole.

Upcoming events from Let’s Move Blair County include the Active Living STEPS Challenge being held from Sept. 11 to Nov. 6. The goal is for participants to jointly reach 200 million steps.

The STEPS Challenge begins Sept. 11 to coincide with the inaugural First Responder Memorial Race organized by the Appalachian Running Company. The 5k race will be held at Lakemont Park and is open to runners and walkers. All proceeds from the race will benefit AMED in Altoona, said John Myers, Healthy Blair County Coalition member and Appalachian Running Company regional manager.