PartnerSHIP 4 Health Working with Local Businesses to Help Reduce COVID Weight Gain

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – Health care workers across the country are seeing weight gain become an issue in a majority of their patients, a product of the coronavirus pandemic.

Karensa Tischer, a Registered Dietitian says weight gain during the pandemic and our food and beverage decisions are directly related to the environment we’ve been living in for nearly a year. She along with PartnerSHIP 4 Health are helping Lakes Area businesses become more conscious of their environments through the Good Food Guidelines Project, “we’re actively recruiting organizations that are interested in creating healthier food environments within their spaces.”

Tischer says on average two-thirds of the adult population and one-third of kids in the United States are overweight or obese. Through the program, PartnerSHIP 4 Health is working in partnership with local communities to implement food guidelines in local government and community settings, prioritizing settings where children, families and/or people experiencing health disparities work, learn and play.

Past partners include the City of Detroit Lakes, Arvig, KLN Family Brands, the DLCCC and Leighton Broadcasting. Organizations who are interested in participating in the program are encouraged to visit http://partnership4health.org/worksites