MOSES LAKE — Collaboration.

That was the key focus of Wednesday's Healthy Futures Forum that brought around 50 people from several community organizations to discuss the future of the Moses Lake Healthy Communities Project.

With more than half a dozen different community organizations represented, including students and individuals, the forum was deemed by many to be a success.

Dr. Stuart O'Byrne with the Grant-Adams County Medical Society began the evening by thanking the audience for providing a diverse representation, adding that maintaining coordinated efforts between community entities is key to moving the HCP along.

The HCP was first started in Moses Lake in 2002 and includes three projects: The Community Paths and Trails Team, Moses Lake Breast Feeding Coalition and the Moses Lake Community Gardens.

From rising health care costs, increases in the number of people uninsured, lack of access to health care services and more reported cases of chronic diseases such as diabetes, Kyle Unland with the Washington state Department of Health, told Wednesday's audience that alleviating these problems will take several years to resolve.

"It takes our whole society to be able to do this," Unland said.

Later in the evening, Dr. Alexander Brzezny, a health officer with the Grant County Health District, called for all citizens concerned with the health of their families and community to make a conscientious choice to change lifestyle habits.

"It's not going to be your doctor making the difference," Brzezny said. "The bottom line is it takes communities."

Getting various entities like local school districts, parks and recreation departments and individual families together to agree on how to encourage healthy life choices is another challenge.

"We are trying to make healthy places for our kids to live," said Dr. Monica Dixon, a nutrition consultant with the DOH.

Dixon mentioned the pervasiveness of media advertisements that all too often encourage eating more food more often.

"The message is everywhere to eat," Dixon said.

During the meeting, Moses Lake city councilman Lee Blackwell acknowledged the diversity of health care needs in the Basin that need to be addressed.

Those needs, Blackwell said, stem from having various ethnic populations and cultural perceptions about food and exercise.

"We're different but that's OK," he said.

Blackwell also made mention of a $345,000 matching grant the city received this month from the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation that will be used specifically for the Heron Trail that is designed to provide a trail system throughout Moses Lake.

"It needs to be nice," Blackwell said. "People have to have a reason to go there."

Superintendent Steve Chestnut with the Moses Lake School District spoke about two projects the schools are working on to improve meal options and health curriculum.

One of those projects is a review of the district's nutrition and health policy, which all school districts in the state are being required to review by Aug. 1.

The other project includes making changes to the K-12 health curriculum.

"It's an issue we're interested in," Chestnut said of the health of the community and its youth.

With 18 area parks maintained by the Moses Lake Parks and Recreation Department, director Spencer Grigg said there are more than enough opportunities for the community to remain active.

"It's all about the next shot," Grigg said in reference to taking advantage of opportunities to live healthy lifestyles.

By the end of the forum, break-out groups were formed for discussion on how different community groups can work together within the HCP.

"You'd be able to help people and give them information," said Moses Lake High School student Braden Messer of the Youth Wellness Team which is comprised of area youth who are part of the HCP.

The next forum meeting is scheduled for Nov. 16, 2005.