HSI Monthly Momentum - January 2025
The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative’s programs and events strive to create awareness and provide solutions to improve the physical, social and mental well-being of Iowans. Every month through Monthly Momentum, we’ll share what our team did through our four main programs Make It OK, Double Up Food Bucks, Produce Rx, and 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! the month prior to realize that mission! There are tons of ways to get involved whether your passion is mental, social, or physical health, so join us in ensuring every Iowan can live their healthiest life, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media so you never miss a thing!
HSI Updates
We were proud to share our 2024 Annual Report this month! From community events, to new developments in our programs, everything we accomplished in 2024 is available for you to see now! Some of our favorite stats are:
$578,000 worth of economic impact was created statewide by Double Up Food Bucks.
286,010 employees in 507 registered workplaces were informed of the importance of mental health care and the prevalence of mental health stigma through the Make It OK campaign.
3,500 educators and individuals were reached through outreach opportunities for 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count!
$85,000 were redeemed for fresh produce through the Iowa Produce Prescription Program.
See the full report below!
That’s not all! Our Executive Director, Jami Haberl, presented to over 50 Healthy Eating and Active Living Partnership members hosted by the Iowa Health and Human Services about the work of Iowa Healthiest State Initiative. We love opportunities to engage with community members and leaders across the state!
2025 Healthiest State Annual Awards
The 2025 Healthiest State Annual Awards applications opened and closed in January. The Annual Awards is our prestigious annual recognition program that celebrates people and organizations in 6 categories for implementing best practices to support the physical, social and mental well-being of Iowans.
Later this year, applicants will be finalists, and finalists will become award winners in our 6 categories: Workplace, K-12 Education, Early Care, Individual, Youth Power, and Health Care! All winners will receive a monetary prize to continue their work to support the well-being of their fellow Iowans. Finalists will be announced at the 2025 Annual Awards Ceremony following the 2025 Healthiest State Conference on April 17th at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.
Make It OK
In January our Make It OK Coordinator, Brianna Sink, trained 3 new Ambassadors and hosted 1 Make It OK presentation to help spread the word about Make It OK.
As of 2025, community members now can register their organization to house Back the Black campaign materials in their offices for the public access. If you are interested in helping spread mental health awareness within the Black community, register your organization to receive resources to be available to the public.
We also hosted our first workplace roundtable of the year on January 29th where registered Make It OK workplaces come together virtually to hear program updates, share ideas and ask questions. Become a registered workplace today to gain mental health materials to increase awareness within your workplace!
Double Up Food Bucks
We kicked off our Double Up Food Bucks site visits at our Fareway locations. Our goal is to discover new ways to engage more users and make the process of using Double Up Food Bucks easier for all SNAP participants!
Finally, Healthy Incentives Director, Jazzmine Brooks, sat down with the Des Moines Business Record to discuss the Double Up Food Bucks program and upcoming plans for 2025.
