LET’S TAKE ACTION TOGETHER

for Your Family, Your Home, Your Life and Your Health

GENERATING POSSIBILITIES AND IMPROVING HEALTH

Engaging individuals to make the most of life's opportunities through well-being.

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Our Mission

We are presented with numerous options and opportunities in life. From what you will be when you grow up, where you should live, to starting a family, decisions must be made. Regardless of what path you chose, your well-being was a factor in everything. Having a healthy mind, healthy body, and healthy relationship creates overall well-being that enables you to make the most of your life.

 

Overall, well-being means kids finish school, obtain a higher education, prosper into a strong workforce, and live in a community that’s getting ahead. Healthy Nevada can be there for your walk of life and help make the most of your opportunities through programming that empowers you to start being well today. With the help of the people of Vernon County, we are on a mission to make the most of life’s opportunities.

Our Town

Location

Located in the Southwest portion of Missouri, Nevada is 90 miles south of Kansas City, Mo., 95 miles north and west of Springfield and 45 miles north of Joplin. Tucked away from the bustling of metropolitan areas, Nevada is strongly positioned for future growth as an economical and safe community to retire or raise a family.

 

Business

Business is thriving in Nevada. The city serves as a regional hub for government, recreation and industry with the agriculture and manufacturing industries leading the way. Major employers include 3M, Nevada Regional Medical Center, Nevada R-5 School District, Wal-Mart Supercenter and Murphy Family Ventures. The W.F. Norman Corporation, which opened for business in 1898, remains the only manufacturer of metal ceilings left in the U.S.

 

Health Care

The Nevada Regional Medical Center provides same-day surgery (including orthopedics), inpatient care with an Intensive Care Unit, family-centered maternity care, inpatient and outpatient Behavioral Health Services and more. The city also has private-practice physician offices, an urgent care clinic and behavioral health services.  Additionally, the Vernon County Health Department offers the Women, Infant, Children (WIC) program, the SMILE Clinic (which provides dentistry for underserved children), On My Own, Inc. center for independent living, and many more.

 

Parks and Attractions

Cited by 417 Magazine as a “Top 10 Best Community to Live In,” Nevada has something for everyone. There are 439 acres of beautiful city parks for exercise and play. A state-of-the-art sports complex provides for year-round fun. The Bushwhacker Museum Heritage Center, Fox Playhouse Theater and Nevada Square provide entertainment and shopping.  For those who love the outdoors, thousands of acres of dedicated conservation land surround the city. Plus, Bushwhacker and Stockton lakes are just minutes away.

Innovations

Education

We know that education is imperative to change health behaviors and the health of individuals. Healthy Nevada had provided educational programming in several areas to address the needs of the community.

• Nutrition/Cooking education
• Peace of Mind: Life with Diabetes
• Peace of Mind: Life with Depression
• 12345 Fit-Tastic
• Getting Ahead
• Power & Pulse
• Strength in Numbers
• Healthy Faith
• Educational Material Development
• Grantmanship Training – Grant Writing

Healthy Food Accessibility

Throughout the past 4 years, Healthy Nevada has taken on numerous healthy food accessibility projects. The innovations listed below have taken place at numerous locations in the community with partners to ensure we can all make the most of life’s opportunities with every meal, snack and drink!

• Vernon County Farmer’s Market EBT qualified and implement a CSA
• Healthy Vending
• Healthy Concessions
• Grocery Store Tours
• Wellness Kiosks
• Seeds of Faith Produce Collaborative
• Nutrition/Cooking Education Classes

Physical Activity

Healthy Nevada recognizes the importance of physical activity in the overall well-being of a person. Whether it’s walking, biking or pumping iron, several projects have been developed to get Vernon County moving.

• Community Trail – 1st Trail ADA compliant
• Movin’ and Losin’ Community Challenge
• Stroller Fitness
• Bike & Walking Routes
• Step4IT Vernon County Challenge

Policy, Systems, & Environment

In order to create sustainable changes that will long last any project, policy, systems and environment (PSE) changes are imperative. Healthy Nevada has worked hard with local partners to bring about PSE changes within Vernon County.

• PedNet Community Analysis- Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan, Healthy Food Accessibility, etc.
• Show Me Tobacco Free Vernon County – advocated for 1st Tobacco Free Indoor Policy City Wide
• 1st Community in Southwest Missouri to pass a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
• New Community Trail to increase physical activity
• New bike route signage
• New walking route signage

Achievements

Learn more about our 2017 five year benchmark!

View the following stories to learn more about our adventure that began five years ago!

Four States Homepage

KNEM-KNMO

Nevada Daily Mail

donors and volunteers
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miles of new bike routes established in Nevada/Vernon County

additional servings of fresh produce available to the vulnerable population—that's 59,000 pounds!
CLICK HERE TO FIND US ON A MAP

CONTACT US

Have some ideas on how to make Nevada healthier?  Would you like to get involved?  Reach out to us and let us know!

Healthy Nevada Innovation Center, 212 W. Walnut St. B, Nevada, MO 64772

417-283-4575 | inbox@healthynevada.net

Alyson is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and CEO of Heartland Behavioral Health Services where she manages a 150-bed child and adolescent hospital.   Alyson incorporates her passion for mental health treatment with her belief in wellness through her development and implementation of a comprehensive Employee Wellness Program. 

In addition to her administrative duties, she provides individual counseling through her private practice focusing on trauma victims and life coaching.  She utilizes her training in wellness and psychotherapy to provide a holistic approach to outpatient treatment.  

Alyson earned her Master’s degree from the University of Kansas.  She is a member of the Nevada R-V Board of Education and an advocate for rural health initiatives, including Healthy Nevada, serving as the current Board President.  
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Carol is from Neosho, MO and attended Franklin Technical School. In her professional career, Carol has acted as the Deputy County Collector for Newton County, Personnel Manager for International Multifoods in Chicago, Illinois, the City of Nevada Missouri Parks & Recreation Director and the current Housing Authority Executive Director.

Carol is a charter member of the Vernon County Cancer Relief Fund, a member of Rotary and vice-president of the Healthy Nevada Leadership Board.
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JD has served as the City Manager of Nevada Missouri since 2010. He previously served as City Administrator in Bowling Green, Missouri. Major accomplishments during the past nine years include initiating and leading successful campaigns for multiple sales tax ballot issues including passage of the first permanent sales tax in Nevada since the early 1970’s, the completion of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure improvements, and bringing together leaders from across the Nevada community to partner with Cerner Corporation and launch the Healthy Nevada initiative, a unique public-private collaboration in Rural Health and Population Heath Management.

In addition to his duties as City Manager, JD serves on the Board of Directors for Midwest Public Risk and the Healthy Nevada Board of Directors as Treasurer. 

While serving in Nevada, JD has been honored with the Nevada Head Start Hero Award, the Nevada Chamber of Commerce Community Improvement Pacesetter of the Year award, and was the recipient of the Local Governmental Leadership Award from the Missouri Police Chief’s Association. 

JD lives in Nevada with his daughters Marian and Alynne. 
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Erik currently leads the Healthy Nevada Project in Vernon County, Missouri. His vision is for Vernon County to be the community model for health and wellness. Previously, Erik was a Client Results Executive where he managed the long-term Cerner relationship with Mayo Clinic. Erik began working at Cerner in 1999 as a Product Specialist. He was chosen to work with the Mayo Clinic and moved to Jacksonville, Florida. He returned to Kansas City in 2003 working as a Business Analyst for the client service organization.

Erik received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Master’s degree in Health Care Administration from the Henry F. Bloch School of Business. Recently, Erik graduated from Cerner's Leadership Academy Program.
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Kevin is a highly accomplished Executive Healthcare Manager with thirty-eight years of leadership in driving revenue, building successful management teams, and refocusing under-performing departments towards growth and profit curves. A committed, service minded leader who has spent his last twenty years in rural communities where the resident customers and civic leaders are the true bosses to whom he reports. Kevin acknowledges that great healthcare is a true team effort, led by physicians, and executed by many.

As the CEO of Nevada Regional Medical Center (NRMC) and a Healthy Nevada board member, Kevin has the opportunity to link the efforts of Healthy Nevada to the mission of NRMC, and help develop ways of moving people of Vernon County towards optimal health conditions.

Kevin received his bachelor of arts in English and Business from Texas Christian University and a Master’s degree in business administration from University of Houston- Clear Lake.
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Kathy Macomber is a Community Development Specialist and County Program Director with the University of Missouri Extension based in Lamar, MO. Macomber has been with MU for over 9 years. Currently she works with communities and non-profits on organizational development and community economic development. Macomber has been a Senior Examiner with the Missouri Quality Awards program.
 
Prior to joining Extension, Macomber was a Treasury Analyst for a Fortune 500 manufacturer, Leggett & Platt. Previous experience includes work in large and small businesses, non-profits, local government (elected official), school board member and on planning & zoning boards in her community.
 
Macomber has a doctorate (Ed.D) in Educational Leadership, M.S. in Administrative Studies, and a B.S. in Business administration.
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Michelle Peterson is the current President-Elect for the Kansas Public Health Association and has served on the board for over six years working on local, state and international projects in public health. Her experience in both public and private sector health care, drives unique partnerships for shared interests in health.

As the senior population health strategist at Cerner Corporation, Michelle brings extensive understanding of the evolving health system and regulatory advancement of payment models. The healthcare industry has customarily thought about health care data and individual responsibility as primary influencers of a person's health outcomes. Organizations recognize that alternative drivers, such as economic status, social factors and physical environments are also key influencers in health outcomes. Michelle serves as an advisors for health systems, public health, large employers, and city governments for design of these healthier community innovations. She also conducts academic research in partnership with the University of Kansas for advancement of these models.

Most recently, Michelle has been working nationally to drive clinical-community linkage for social determinants of health and adoption of standardized instruments and referral networks across clinical settings. Many Kansas communities have also worked with Michelle Peterson (Wishon) in her previous work with ASTHO, NACCHO and HHS, in emergency preparedness and response at KDHE, and during her local public health work as a regional coordinator in western Kansas.
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