Sutter Lakeside’s unique school program designed to bring about significant improvement in children’s health

Moist squares of chocolate brownies sat irresistibly on a tray of free samples at the grocery store. But the fifth-grader refused to give in to temptation and walked off to buy an apple instead. The reason for making that decision, she later told her teacher, was simple: "I really care about myself so I won't eat things that aren't good for me."

The idea of a fifth-grader making such a self-respecting health choice is becoming more and more common in one northern California school district, thanks to a unique education program developed by Sutter Lakeside Hospital & Center for Health (Sutter Lakeside).

The program is called Healthy Kids Are Contagious and it stems from Sutter Lakesides's Wellness Center program and its hallmark, The Five Keys to Wellness, which identifies and promotes five aspects of healthful living, including self-love, breathing, positive choices, balance and trust. The Five Keys are infused through all hospital wellness programs.

"To improve health and lower healthcare costs in our county, we are reaching the kids," said Kelly Mather, CEO of Sutter Lakeside. "The Healthy Kids Are Contagious program not only educates students about nutrition and exercise, but it also addresses mental and emotional issues from our Five Keys to Wellness principals, so they will be motivated to make healthier choices for a lifetime.

Mather Turns Hospital Staff into Healthy Role Models

The dismal health status of Lake County – ranked 56 out of 58 California counties by the state's Department of Health & Human Services – prompted Sutter Lakeside's Mather to develop a series of wellness programs for hospital staff and the adult community. Mather had required the organization's staff members to improve their own health through a wellness program that included weight-loss support groups, exercise programs, and stress-management classes.

More importantly, using the Five Keys to Wellness, members of Mather's wellness team guided the staff to develop healthier thoughts, feelings, beliefs and habits – the issues that drive poor life-style choices and lead to chronic illness.

Collectively, the staff saw their average blood pressure and cholesterol levels drop ten percent in one year – and the cost of their medical insurance premiums went down as well. Mather then established the Wellness Center at Sutter Lakeside to offer the community a place to get support for making lifestyle changes and used those same principles to educate children, morphing the adult program into Healthy Kids Are Contagious.

"We're offering 'wellness care' and not only illness care,'" Mather says. "Once we saw the results among staff members and patients we wanted to promote the idea of wellness beyond the hospital walls. Since children have not yet formed decades of bad habits we felt we could reach them in the classroom instead of the doctor's waiting room."

A Healthy Curriculum

Healthy Kids Are Contagious offers school presentations that cover a variety of subjects ranging from avoiding the flu on the playground to preventing bacterial outbreaks in the locker room. The "Healthy Mascots," however, are by far the most popular ambassadors for the program because they feature Sutter Lakeside staff members dressed in costumes representing characters such as "Healthy Mr. Heart," "Healthy Mr. Spine" and "Mr. Tissue."

"I've seen kids sit up straight because that's what 'Mr. Spine' says to do," reports Chris Veenstra, a first-grade teacher at Upper Lake Elementary School whose class enjoyed one of Sutter Lakeside's presentations. "I've also heard them say things like 'We should go exercise because it's good for our hearts.'"

Gail Marshall who teaches sixth grade at Minnie Cannon Middle School in Middletown says, "I saw a huge transformation in the kids. They now speak the vocabulary of the five keys to wellness. One boy actually stood up in front of the entire class and said, 'I love myself!'"

For more information regarding the program, please contact Carrie McClure, School Site Coordinator at (707) 262-5039 or via email at healthykids@sutterhealth.org.