Sitka

Dan Burden to be guest speaker at Sitka Health Summit

SITKA, April 17, 2008 — The guest speaker for the second annual Sitka Health Summit, “Working Together for a Healthier Sitka,” will be Dan Burden, a nationally known expert on building healthier communities. Burden is the executive director of Walkable Communities Inc., a founder of Bikecentennial Inc. (now called the Adventure Cycling Association), a former national advisory board member of the Active Living By Design program and a former National Geographic photographer who led a cycling expedition from Alaska to the Andes in the 1970s.

The Sitka Health Summit takes place from May 14-16 at various locations around Sitka this year. Sitka residents are invited to attend two community events — the Sitka Health Summit Community Dinner on Wednesday, May 14, at the Hames Athletic and Wellness Center, and the Next Steps: Community Planning Session on Thursday, May 15, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.

Doors open and the halibut dinner is served at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday for the Sitka Health Summit Community Dinner. The $5 meal tickets are available through May 9 at six locations around town — Old Harbor Books, White’s Pharmacy, Murray Pacific, the Hames Athletic and Wellness Center, Spenard Builders Supply and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska main office. The agenda includes a progress report on the goals from the 2007 Sitka Health Summit, a keynote address on “What Makes a Healthy Community” from Dan Burden, and several community awards for individual and group health role models and wellness champions.

The Next Steps: Community Planning Session takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday. This event is open to all interested Sitka community members. This is an opportunity for community members to help set Sitka’s health goals for 2008-09 and develop an action plan for meeting those goals. The agenda includes a presentation on the state of Sitka’s health, a short progress report on the goals from the 2007 Sitka Health Summit, a presentation from Dan Burden and examples of how other communities achieved similar goals.

The Sitka Health Summit is brought to you by Sitka Community Hospital, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) and the Steps to a Healthier SE Alaska program. The Summit’s vision is “to serve our great state as a model for community wellness by creating a healthy community where all Sitkans strive for and enjoy a high quality of life. For more information about the summit, contact Grace Brooks at 966-8865 or grace.brooks@searhc.org, or go to our Web site at Sitka Health Summit Home.

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Sitka Health Summit dinner location changed

SITKA, May 6, 2008 — The location for the second annual Sitka Health Summit community dinner has been changed. The dinner now takes place at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, at Harrigan Centennial Hall.

Tickets for the community dinner still need to be purchased by Friday, May 9, to insure we have enough food for everybody. The halibut dinner costs $5, and tickets are available at six locations around Sitka — Old Harbor Books, White’s Pharmacy, Hames Athletic and Wellness Center, Murray Pacific, Spenard Builders Supply and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska main office building.

The guest speaker is Dan Burden, a nationally known expert on building healthier communities, who will give a keynote address about “What Makes a Healthy Community.” There also will be a report about the state of Sitka’s health, a progress report on the four main goals and priorities from the inaugural Sitka Health Summit, and community awards for individuals and groups in Sitka who serve as health role models and wellness champions.

Sitka residents also are invited to participate in the Next Steps: Community Planning Session, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 15. This event is open to all interested Sitka community members, and it is an opportunity to help set Sitka’s health goals for 2008-09 and develop an action plan for meeting those goals. The agenda includes a presentation on the state of Sitka’s health, a short progress report on the goals from the 2007 Sitka Health Summit, a presentation from Dan Burden on “How To Make A Healthy Community” and examples of how other communities achieved similar goals.

The Sitka Health Summit is brought to you by Sitka Community Hospital, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) and the Steps to a Healthier SE Alaska program. The Summit’s vision is “to serve our great state as a model for community wellness by creating a healthy community where all Sitkans strive for and enjoy a high quality of life.” For more information about the summit, contact Grace Brooks at 966-8865 or grace.brooks@searhc.org, or go to our Web site at Sitka Health Summit Home.

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Just a note to let people know the deadline to buy tickets to the Sitka Health Summit community dinner has been extended to Monday, May 12. The halibut dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, at Harrigan Centennial Hall. Tickets are $5 and available from six locations around town -- Old Harbor Books, White's Pharmacy, Hames Athletic and Wellness Center, Spenard Builders Supply, Murray Pacific and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska main office. For more information, go to Sitka Health Summit Home.