By Jana Wegener 

On Wednesday, April 4th J.C. Blair Hospital, Juniata College, and Huntingdon Area High School representatives hosted the Pennsylvania Department of Health officials to share information on the local “Force For Health” initiative and community-engaged learning. For the community of Huntingdon, it was an honor to welcome the Deputy Secretary of Health to promote the Force for Health campaign. The meeting was successful in strengthening the relationships between Huntingdon community resources and the Commonwealth.

Force for Health is a non-profit organization that is focused on empowering people and organizations to be a force for health for themselves and others, as they address healthy decision making and the social determinants of health across the community. The organization partners with companies, communities, and people to share resources and collaborate to advance a culture of wellness.

Juniata College students, enrolled in a Force for Health class, presented at J.C. Blair an overview of their contribution to developing a healthier community. Part of the students’ course work was to develop an online health and human service directory, calendar of events, online courses, and Force for Health club activity. All this content will live in a new portal under: myhealthyhuntingdon.com. This portal will become a key resource for the county’s health initiatives.

Subsequently, Provost Lauren Bowen and Dr. Sarah Worley, both of Juniata College, spoke about the importance of community engaged learning to provide students with real experiences in the workforce.  Where the county benefits from the material created by the students, the scholars learn about unpredictability and influential tasks for the first time.

​Force for Health brings together communities while encouraging positive change and promoting health. Pictured below are the Department of Health officials, J.C Blair Hospital administrators, Juniata College representatives and students, and a HAHS teacher, who attended the collaborative meeting.