EDITORIAL: Support ArtHealthy

Published 8:27 am Wednesday, April 12, 2023

This Saturday, the front campus of Georgia College will be filled with activities for all ages with one goal in mind — getting people moving.

The ninth annual ArtHealthy festival is slated from 1 to 5 p.m. featuring everything from children’s games, human Foosball, an obstacle course and even a zip line. There will be live music and something for everyone.

The annual event is sponsored by Georgia College & State University and CREATE Inc. Since its inception, the festival as grown and expanded year by year. But it’s not entirely fun and games. There will be blood pressure checks and other health screenings aimed a preventive care. Since the pandemic, many of us has gotten behind on scheduling and following through on medical appointments that are vital to our health and overall well-being.

Results from a University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging revealed that nearly one-third of people over 50 who had an appointment on their calendars in 2021 either delayed it, or had it delayed by their provider. That includes operations and procedures that had to be cancelled by hospitals because they were overwhelmed by pandemic-related care. The American Medical Association estimates that 29% of American adults missed a preventative care visit between 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. That’s not to mention the significant of children who may have missed well-care visits and even immunizations. According to CREATE Inc., the organization’s goal is to “Provide Innovative Responses to Quality-of-Life Barriers.”

This weekend’s event is a great way to get back on track and kickstart these healthy changes and eradicate some of the barriers interfering locally with getting health and wellness care. 

This one-day event brings together campus and community members and is free and open to the public. 

By offering a variety of activities for attendees of all ages, ArtHealthy draws in residents from all corners of the community. 

It is imperative that the institutions of family, community, government, education and business come together to tackle this growing and increasingly dangerous problem. Healthier eating habits are best kept in practice when they are learned as children.

Enjoy the great spring weather we’re having by coming out this weekend so the community can continue making strides and getting healthier and active. 

Let’s all celebrate the end result — a healthier generation of local children and families putting into practice sound habits for the better.