LAKEPORT, Calif. – Visitors from Way to Wellville communities across the country said they see leadership, collaboration and a sense of boldness during an annual conference in Spartanburg, SC.

Way to Wellville, a project designed to measure and improve an area's health, selected Lake County in August 2014 as one of five communities for the five-year challenge.

Lake County representatives attended an annual gathering of the communities – Clatsop County, Ore.; Greater Muskegon, Mich.; Lake County, Calif.; Spartanburg, S.C.; and Niagara Falls, N.Y. – in Spartanburg in early June.

“It’s eye opening to see what other populations under a hundred thousand people are doing, and hear about best practices from other communities,” said Allison Panella of Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “The conference sparked a lot of excitement about what’s possible in Lake County.”

“The word I think of is ‘inspired’,” said Kim Tangermann, Mendocino Community Health Clinic. “Coming together as a group made me realize that other counties struggle with a lot of the same things we do, but everyone is pushing for change. What can we do that’s outside the box? Who else can we get involved?

“We’re all committed to giving every individual the opportunity to have a great life here. Making changes is difficult work, but there’s an undeniable opportunity happening right now and that, to me, is encouraging

“We work in a community impacted by poverty, which is partly a function of childhood experiences,” said Jen Dalton, North Coast Opportunities. “A big part of North Coast Opportunities’ mission is to create environments for people to have access to similar experiences. A lot of our work is about community engagement, and that’s something we really heard a lot of from the other communities. The community’s voice is the most important voice.”

Lake County recently completed its triennial Community Health Needs Assessment, which identifies top health priorities with the goal of developing strategies to address such needs. Way to Wellville participants plan to use the data from the CHNA as a springboard to take on areas of most critical need, according to Dalton.

“The conference was a productive mix of practical ideas and bigger picture inspiration,” said Shelly Mascari, Adventist Health. “The work in Lake County is far bigger than any one agency, person, or initiative. It really will take every single one of us functioning at the highest capacity to accomplish change. Every person who attended has an action plan that supports shifting our health ranking; I left re-inspired by the amazing people we have working in Lake County.”

Kimberley Sims, mayor of the city of Muskegon Heights, Mich., said she has learned a lot during her first visit to Spartanburg.

“Health care is something that honestly I never found a whole lot of interest in, but being a part of Wellville has really enabled me to see what my role in health needs to be from the leadership and the local government perspective,” she said.

Sims said she will be taking several ideas back with her to Michigan.

Marcus Robinson, with the Chicago-based Social Innovation Group, was invited to the conference as an expert on community building and development. He said his greatest take away from the conference is realizing that major change is a long process, not a quick fix.

“It takes vision and courage and people who have gravity and a stake in the community to pull everybody along,” he said.

“We have to focus on what’s possible instead of what’s holding us back,” said Dalton. “We have to keep moving forward.”