Author: Donna Bowen

Health Extension is proving to be an active and helpful resource in the Greenville County community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As a member of this team, Ellie Lane is continuing to offer chronic disease prevention and self-management health education programs to wide audiences online through Zoom. Ellie has been directly involved with delivering the Health Extension for Diabetes, Diabetes Prevention, and Hypertension Management programs since switching to virtual delivery. In addition, she has continued to produce creative and educational content focused on healthy behaviors in the form of videos, fact sheets, infographics, and social media posts.
While working from home, Ellie has:
• Graduated two online Health Extension for Diabetes cohorts (13 participants) in September and October
o Participants received weekly follow-up from Ellie to check in with their progress in the program and receive personalized health coaching to help them reach their goals.
• Continued virtual learning with one Diabetes Prevention Program cohort that began in-person in February (9 participants)
o Participants are showing excellent results at the 6-month mark as many have already met weight loss and physical activity minute goals for the program. They are also showing increases in physical activity, improved diet, lowered blood sugar levels, and improved self confidence with making healthy changes. 4/9 participants have reported lowering A1C values out of the prediabetes range at just half-way through the program.
o Participants receive a weekly follow-up from Ellie to check in with their progress in the program and receive personalized health coaching to help them reach their goals.
• Began one online Hypertension Management Program (5 participants) in October
o The next HMP cohort is scheduled to begin early November.
o Participants receive a weekly follow-up from Ellie to check in with their progress in the program and receive personalized health coaching to help them reach their goals.
• Produced HGIC blog posts and fact sheets for general public related to healthy behavior change
• Recorded physical activity videos (yoga, cardiovascular, strength-training, and resistance band workouts, etc.) for RHN and 4-H programs such as Walk SC, Diabetes Prevention Program, and 4-H Healthy Movers
• Worked with RHN team to identify appropriate sites for COVID-19 testing across SC
• Developed Food Insecurity Training curriculum for healthcare professionals and coordinated with local food pantries to connect food insecure individuals with vital resources
• Worked with PRISMA Partners to establish framework to deliver Hypertension Management Program 100% virtually

Health Extension Agent Melissa Bales is hard at work delivering the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) to citizens of Greenville County. When their in-person classes were stopped due to COVID-19, the program adapted by moving all existing groups to a virtual format. All four of Melissa’s DPP groups, a total of 38 participants, that were meeting in-person have transitioned to meeting either through Zoom or a conference call, whichever method the group decided on for continuing with the program. As of October 2020, one group graduated from the program while virtual with a retention rate of 66.7 percent, and another group is scheduled to graduate next month.

Melissa worked with Rural Health and Nutrition Program Team Leader, Michelle Parisi, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish the necessary framework for Extension to offer DPP 100 percent virtually and begin working towards national recognition for Extension’s program. Now, two groups have been started following this framework, with a total of 11 participants enrolled. A third, 100 percent virtual group will begin at the end of October. All three groups meet through Zoom.

In addition to transitioning groups to a virtual format, participants receive a weekly phone call, email, or text to check in with their progress in the program. Participants have reported increases in physical activity, improved diet, lowered blood sugar levels, and improved self-confidence with making healthy changes.

Melissa also worked with another Greenville Health Extension Agent, Danielle McFall, to lead a group of the WalkSC program. This program enrolled 74 participants with 71 completing the program, and helped them become more active through a private Facebook group. Participants in this program reported increases in activity and improved diet.
Melissa has also written several fact sheets and blogs for the Home and Garden Information Center regarding topics such as prediabetes, eating healthy at restaurants, and burnout.

Danielle McFall is a Health Extension Agent on the Rural Health and Nutrition program team, who primary program focus is the Health Extension for Diabetes (HED) program. Since COVID-19 prohibited in-person program delivery, the HED program shifted to 100% online delivery in April 2020. As a result, program enrollment expanded beyond normal enrollment. In four months, the program enrolled 86 participants, nearly a year’s worth of program participants! Program participants receive graduation boxes upon successful completion. About 70 participants have recently graduated from HED and received one of these boxes to help encourage them to continue making healthy lifestyle changes. The boxes include items related to nutrition fact label reading, physical activity, blood sugar monitoring, and more!

In addition to online program delivery, new program referral methods and partners were established to improve program awareness. The increase in program numbers allowed for the expansion of additional Health Extension Agents to deliver additional cohorts. Three additional agents were able to be trained for future program delivery to meet community needs in Greenville County.

As information has emerged related to COVID-19, the Rural Health and Nutrition program team has stayed up-to-date with relevant information to be posted on social media and shared with community members. This has also included fact sheets and blogs on the Home and Garden Information Center’s website. Check out these relevant posts about COVID and mental health during the pandemic:

COVID-19: The Science Behind the Mask: https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/covid-19-the-science-behind-the-mask/
Let’s Face It: Proper Mask Hygiene: https://hgic.clemson.edu/lets-face-it-proper-mask-hygiene/
Burnout: https://hgic.clemson.edu/burnout/
Zoomed Out: https://hgic.clemson.edu/zoomed-out/
Coping with Stress and Mental Health: https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/coping-with-stress-and-mental-health/

Patricia Whitener has been happily serving the Greenville Community for the past 6 years. Her connection with families, schools, recreation sites and non-profit organizations has helped her transition to delivering virtual programs over the past 9 months. Despite the changes in how we all work and live that Covid-19 pandemic has wrought, Greenville County 4-H has continued to engage and educate youth ages 5-18 with hands-on learning. 4-H clubs may not be meeting in person but since March, Greenville 4-H’ers have participated in and completed independent project learning in healthy lifestyles, embryology, Small Garden project, Tomato project, 4-H Flower project and the Wildlife Food plot project. Several of our volunteer led community clubs have transitioned to virtual meetings including Stablemates, Robotics, Teen Council, 4-H Forest Explorers, Chess, and Pleasant Valley Connection. Over the summer, 113 campers received materials and curriculum in mailed kits to utilize while at home. The virtual day camp “Journey to Mars” program aimed to enhance computational thinking skills and promote computer science literacy. In August, 4-H once again partnered with the state-wide Clemson Extension School and Community Gardening team to deliver transplants and supplies for over a dozen gardens. These gardens provide learning for 271 students. Whitener is currently training volunteers and teachers, as part of an online course, to install 4 additional school gardens. These outdoor classrooms have led to partnerships with researchers in the College of Behavioral, Health and Social Sciences where Patricia is working closely with other graduate students to develop an Ag.STEM curriculum as part of her doctoral research. This winter, over 50 youth received a regionally specific natural resource materials as part of our Winter Wildlife Activity kit. Spring is off to an exciting start as the Poultry projects and Pollinator project kick off next month. For more information about how you can support, engage, and participate in 4-H, please contact your county agent, Patricia Whitener, by emailing pwhiten@clemson.edu or calling (864)365-0627.

The Food Systems and Safety team has been hard at work delivering virtual programs on home food preservation, produce safety, human and pet food manufacturing, and food safety for food entrepreneurs. Additionally, individual conversations with clients have addressed questions on ServSafe® certifications, and in each of the areas previously mentioned. Highlights of the programs delivered by the Upstate Food Systems and Safety Agent, Rebecca Baxley since the beginning of April include:

• Introduction to Home Canning virtual webinar. 42 participants logged in live, 40 viewed the recording.
• Food Preservation for SC Educators webinar. SC School and Community Garden summer workshop series. 142 attendees.
• Preventive Controls for Animal Food Manufacturing webinar. Team member. 12 participants representing 9 individual firms.
• Learn to Can Blueberry Jam video for TD Market Educational Series, Greenville SC. 319 views.
• Jams and Jellies virtual workshop, team member. Live canning in real time via zoom. 5 participants.
• Estimated over 100 individual interactions with stakeholders through phone call and email

As we move into the fall, there is no time to slow down. A few things Rebecca is working on to be introduced in the coming months are below:

Coming Soon…

• A new Food Systems and Safety blog is under development. Look for a link to our new blog that will serve as a hub for information and allow stakeholders to interact with agents.

• Home Food Preservation Lunch and Learn, Preparing for Canning Season on February 26, 2021 from 11:30-1:00.  Register here https://clemson.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIldOCsrDMpG9wM09ywGX3H8-cNyLjmc8O

• Home Food Preservation and Food Safety educational cards are under development for point of purchase distribution. Look for these cards with preservation tips, recipes, and food safety information at farmer’s markets, produce stands and farm stores beginning in the Spring of 2021.

Heather Nix joined the Clemson Extension team as the Upstate District Water Resource Agent just a few months prior to the pandemic. Although new to the team, Nix hit the ground running and, since March, has presented during 4 webinars (reaching 106 attendees live), hosted 6 Inservice sessions to inform the Clemson CAFLS Water Team on SC’s State Water Planning (reaching 203 attendees live), assisted in the creation of a new statewide program for private well owners, submitted 4 Fact Sheets for publication through HGIC, led or assisted in creation of 3 funding proposals, and assisted 117 clients across 10 counties. With a significant background in water resources, Nix has led efforts to build collaborations between Extension and state agencies, local utilities, nonprofits, and businesses. Additionally, Nix has attended over 60 training classes, onboarding sessions, and webinars, including receiving certifications in: SC Adopt-A-Stream chemical/bacteria/macroinvertebrates, Extension’s Master Pond Manager, Extension’s Carolina Yards, PCPO 4-H Training, Penn State Extension’s Pond Management for Rural and Farm Pond Owners, and Penn State Extension’s Keeping Pesticides out of Groundwater.