by Dr. Billie Orr, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Prescott, and Lori Kennedy, Communications Coordinator, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Congratulations to ROX Media on this tremendous new publication – Prescott Healthy Living, which will help our Prescott area communities become more aware of the many resources available to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle. The Prescott Commission on Well-Being is excited to be invited to contribute monthly, and we look forward to sharing ideas about the importance of overall well-being in the vibrant communities throughout the Prescott region.
The inspiration for a Prescott Well-Being Commission came in 2017, when Gallup-Sharecare published the State of American Well-Being rankings*, and Prescott was one of the 186 communities analyzed based on its well-being index scores.
Our community scored quite well, ranking No. 9 in overall well-being. The idea of an intentional focus of well-being became the catalyst for forming a small group of citizens to create a Prescott Commission on Well-Being. After researching a diverse group of people with varying expertise and interests, the Commission became a reality in January this year. There are nine appointed commissioners, each with a particular expertise and talent. The meetings are every third Wednesday at City Hall and open to the public.
The vision statement is to become the premier city of well-being in America.
While this may seem to be a lofty goal, we are determined to make every effort to intentionally move our community toward this vision. Our mission statement is “to engage the citizens who live, learn, work and play in Prescott in the lifelong pursuit of well-being through communication, motivation and action.” Toward this end, over the past few months, the commission has created a webpage on the City’s website, developed our logo and created a survey for our citizens to provide feedback.
The Prescott Commission on Well-Being emulated the Gallup five elements and incorporated them into its logo, featuring a family supporting five branches of a balanced tree of well-being. Each branch represents an essential element that contributes to a holistic view of a community of well-being.
Community Well-being: Engagement and involvement in the area where we live. A sense of community thrives when residents like and have pride in where they live and feel connected. It should not come as a surprise to our residents that this is the element where Prescott scored the best with a ranking of No. 4, demonstrating how much we value our connections and have pride in our community.
Financial Well-being: Understanding and managing our finances increases security and reduces stress and promotes well-being. Prescott ranked quite high at No. 7. While our housing is expensive, there are many opportunities for folks to gather and interact in relatively affordable venues, unlike many areas of the country.
Social Well-being: Closely aligned to Community is the element of Social Well-Being; having supportive and loving relationships in our lives through family, friends and community engagement. Again, Prescott was ranked very high coming in as No. 9 in the Gallup analysis.
Purpose Well-being: How we occupy our time/enjoying what we do each day. Setting goals and being motivated to accomplish those goals is an essential part of a well-balanced life. Prescott ranked No. 17 out of the 186 communities in 2017.
Physical Well-being: Good health and having enough energy to get things done on a daily basis is critical to well-being. No doubt Physical Well-Being is achieved by developing good health habits and energy through balanced nutrition and physical activity. Prescott has many opportunities and great weather for our residents to be outdoors and active and we ranked No. 20 out of 186.
To achieve the commission’s vision and mission, we need our citizens to be engaged in the process. We will be gathering survey input through November and invite everyone to provide feedback about their thoughts on well-being, activities and expectations on what they would like to see developed by the Prescott Commission on Well-Being. We look forward to sharing our progress and invite you to check out our webpage and please take our survey at http://www.prescott-az.gov/