Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Healthy County Boot Camp will be a virtual conference. During Healthy County Boot Camp, county officials and employees who serve as wellness points of contacts learn about new TAC Health and Employee Benefits Pool (TAC HEBP) Healthy County initiatives for the program year, as well as new benefits and other information they can take to their counties to create or support a culture of health and wellness.
"Wellness coordinators and sponsors attending Healthy County Boot Camp get the best of both worlds. They are able to learn how to improve and support personal wellness goals, and how this translates to the workforce,” said Ashley Cureton, HBS Wellness Consultant. “They are then able to provide that information to their colleagues and employees back in their county."
The 12th annual conference is Feb. 11-12. TAC will incorporate various strategies to ensure engagement remains high despite the virtual format.
"Participants will receive the same content as they would if they were in person," said Amy Lawson, Education Project Manager. "We will do live Q&As and broadcast the sessions. It will be like they are sitting in the room and part of the conversation."
The conference is an important Healthy County initiative because of the far-reaching effects it has on those who attend and their counties.
"We have heard great stories of people coming to the conference and hearing ways they can make lifestyle changes, they are able to get off medications and make lifestyle changes to be successful throughout their lifetime," Cureton said. "Having it online, we are hoping we can get more people to attend. We want to show them how much we appreciate everything they do for us."
The conference is a chance to connect with county wellness points of contact in light of travel limitations imposed over the past year.
"The theme for 2021 is 'We are Texas Strong' which was obvious to us because of COVID-19. We want to reiterate how strong we are as Texans," Cureton said. "We are resilient and can overcome challenges if we lean on each other. The conference will focus on resilience and the importance of mental health."
A report from the conference will appear in the next issue of County magazine. Information about the 2021 Healthy County Boot Camp is available at www.county.org/hcbootcamp.