Organization: Columbus Public Health
Title: Creating Healthy Communities Program Director
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Katie Stone, MPH, is director of the Creating Healthy Communities program (CHC) at Columbus Public Health (CPH). CHC is grant-funded to work in high-needs neighborhoods within the city of Columbus, focusing on preventing and reducing chronic disease through physical activity, healthy eating, and tobacco-free initiatives. Katie has been working through CHC to create and implement policy, systems, and environmental changes within the community to create a sustainable culture of health. Katie’s shared use achievements include working with Mount Carmel’s Healthy Living Center to create a use agreement for the hospital setting between the Healthy Living Center and community groups, agencies, and/or programs. Katie also provided technical assistance with the development of the new Columbus City Schools wellness policy, which enables schools to utilize shared use to promote before and after school collaborations to promote wellness.

Katie also manages two full-time staff members as well as a part-time intern who focus their efforts on increasing healthy food access, opportunities for physical activity, and increasing smoke-free living options.  Katie also co-chairs the Chronic Disease Prevention Advisory Board (CDPAB), which is a multi-agency collaboration working through PSE , as well as education and resource distribution to reduce the rates of Chronic Disease within Columbus. Katie has firsthand experience working with the community to promote messages of health and to create a sustainable change to help make the healthy choice the easy choice for the community members and organizations that she serves.