Program, culture change create path to healthy lifestyle

September 21, 2015

The health data for the Dan River Region would seem to predestine local residents like Tia Yancey to living an unhealthy lifestyle — but through community partnerships and a determined willpower she is working to beat the odds.

Yancey’s story is like so many in an area that was ravaged by the closure of major employers in collapsed industries. With such startling statistics as only 9 percent of the population getting the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables and about 35 percent of the population enduring food insecurity, it’s not unexpected for the community to be unhealthy.