One Joplin launched its newest initiative, the Thrive Project, on Friday.
The multi-organizational, business collaborative focuses on improving Joplin's health and wellness outcomes over the next four years.
The initiative was created with the goal of preventing healthcare organizations, businesses and non-profits from working in ‘silos’ - encouraging collaboration.
Social determinants of health also play a critical role in determining the health of a community.
Socioeconomic factors like education, occupations and income include 40% of the social determinant of health - according to research from UCLA Health.
According to the presentation given by One Joplin on Friday, 18% of all Jasper County residents live in poverty, creating a need for adequate access to healthcare and mental health services.
City leaders in business and healthcare crowded Joplin Avenue Coffee to hear One Joplin's executive director, Nicole Brown, announce the project.
"As a community, we have been talking about how we can improve our health. And this is an initiative for all of us to work together to make our community even better than it already is," Brown said.
One Joplin says there are four steps for the initiative: a situational assessment, project development, a health summit and the creation of teams for each actionable issue in Joplin.
The non-profit is working with consulting firm Techconomy on the initiative. The firm created a survey for the public to understand the different needs of the greater Joplin area. Brown said the study is easy to understand and accessible on One Joplin's website.
"We want to give them an outlet to share with us so that we can help them spread that out through the community," added Brown.
Andrea Cullers with One Joplin wrote the grant for the initiative. She said the Thrive Project is a collaborative effort involving over 2,600 businesses, 330 religious organizations, and 1,100 non-profits and civic organizations. Higher education institutions like Missouri Southern State University and Crowder College, as well as the Joplin, Webb City, and Carl Junction School Districts, are also part of the effort.
"But the really big thing about this Thrive Joplin project is that it isn't each organization working alone. It's bringing everyone together for a concerted effort to make health a priority, a value, and a topic of conversation for those of us living in the community," added Cullers.
The four-year initiative includes identifying the most significant barriers to better health, bringing diverse voices to the table, and creating clear, data-driven strategies to position Joplin as a pilot model.
Brown said this project has been in the works for the last two years. The project began when a census revealed Joplin was "the laziest town".
Community leader Dan Stanley mentioned how he and his wife heard the city was also the unhealthiest in all of Missouri.
After deeper digging into the data, Brown realized the census was asking questions that could be interpreted as asking about Joplin's proximity to the nearest gym or fitness center. Still, the data inspired both Stanley and Brown to create an initiative.
There were several speakers at the event, including Nicole Brown and Andrea Cullers with One Joplin, Dan Stanley, and Joplin Mayor Pro Tem Josh DeTar.
One Joplin is a community collaborative that facilitates cooperation and open communication to accomplish shared community goals in health, education, literacy, and poverty.
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