The Kane County Health Department is joining other Kane County departments in partnering with Information Technologies to produce videos. The Health Department recently completed its second production that focused on the growing number of community gardens in Kane County and their importance to bring fresh fruits and vegetable closer to those who really need them. In this day of fragmented communication paths, more and more agencies and individuals are turning toward the video as a way to disseminate their messages in an easy-to–understand format.

The Health Department’s latest production, the 3-minute “Kane County Community Gardens,” was entered in an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) contest meant to highlight the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) and our Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), both of which have identified obesity as a major priority.

The contest’s return is small (10 winners will each receive $1,500), but the video’s themes that Community Gardens support healthy diets, that gardens take the early steps in the battle against obesity, that they create awareness of the efforts of the Fit for Kids program and, in the end, show how simple it can be to grow your own fruits and vegetables, leave a lasting impression on the viewer.

The “Kane County Community Gardens”  can be accessed on YouTube, on the Kane County website, and on the Health Department’s website. The “Journey to a Culture of Health” video is also posted on YouTube.