Athens County Creating Healthy Communities Coalition

03/23/2026

Please help our friends at HAPCAP gather data about transportation in Athens County.

If you travel in Athens County for any reason ... HAPCAP wants to hear from you!

Your feedback will help identify transportation gaps, barriers, and priorities for our communities.

Transportation provides access to jobs, medical care, groceries, education, and connection. Your voice helps ensure services work for the people who rely on them.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey that applies to you.

12/03/2025

Does your child have a disability or an IEP? Do they want to play sports?

The Athens-City County Health Department's Inclusive Sports Working Group is surveying Athens County youth with disabilities to find out if they’d like to play sports, and, if so, what sports they would like to play.

We will use the information from this survey to develop sports programming that welcomes all youth in Athens County.

Please invite your child to take this survey and/or help them complete it: https://forms.office.com/r/bDLe5YQKga.

Image Description: Photo of kids and adults playing with basketballs in a gym. One of the kids is using a wheelchair.

10/27/2025

Creating Healthy Communities partnered with Athens City School District last week to host an Ohio Department of Transportation Active Transportation Academy Crossing Guard Training at The Plains Intermediate School. Twenty participants from Athens and surrounding counties learned about how crossing guards can increase pedestrian safety and reduce chaos during school arrivals and dismissals. Where in Athens County do you think crossing guards are needed?

10/23/2025

Our Inclusive Sports Sampler is up and running at the Athens Community Center! Youth participants ages 8+ have practiced basketball, volleyball, and pickleball with coaching support from Ohio University students in physical therapy, coaching education, and outdoor recreation.

We are thrilled to partner with the city, the university, SOCIL-Ohio and Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities Beacon School to provide this fun opportunity for Athens County youth with and without disabilities. We play together!

09/22/2025

Hello! CHC at the Athens City-County Health Department has partnered with Athens City School District and ODOT to host a crossing guard training program on Monday, Oct. 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Plains Intermediate School. There will be a number of school staff in attendance, but the learning opportunity is open to community members also. The training is free. For more information or to register, visit ODOT's website: https://ltap.enrollware.com/enroll?id=12087770

09/12/2025

Registration is open! We are excited to launch this fun new community recreation program. If you have a kid 8+ with or without a disability who wants to learn how to play a variety of sports, check this out.

Image Description: A Flyer with a colorful background that reads Inclusive Sports Sampler, Athens Community Center Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 - 7:30 October 7 - November 6. Youth ages 8+ with or without a disability - we play together! Try multiple sports with fun coaches! Register online: http://bit.ly/4mLDo4o or call 740-592-3325 or stop by the Athens Community Center, 701 East State Street Athens. The flyer contains the logos for SOCIL, the Athens City-County Health Department, the Athens Community Center, and Ohio University with three photos of kids with and without disabilities playing sports together in gymnasiums, and icons of a basketball, volleyball, football, and pickleball racket representing the sports offered in the Inclusive Sports Sampler.

09/11/2025

We are so grateful for our partnership with the Ohio State Parks Foundation. The new amenities at the beach keep getting better and better.

07/02/2025

Big news at the beach at Strouds Run!

07/02/2025

Athens County CHC is proud to have been instrumental in this project!

06/24/2025

We are excited to celebrate these new accessible features at Strouds Run State Park! We hope to see you at the celebration on Tuesday, July 1, at 10 a.m.

The health department's CHC program has been working with community partners and Ohio State Parks for three years to develop an accessible beach entrance at Strouds Run.

We are grateful to everyone who contributed time, money and support to make this possible: Friends of Strouds Run State Park, Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Athens City Commission on Disabilities, United Seniors of Athens County, Athens County Foundation, Rocky Community Improvement Fund, ATCO Legacy Fund, O'Bleness Foundation, Lulu's El Camino Mexican Cuisine, Southeast Beverage Company, Athens Ohio Rotary Club, Celanese, G&J Pepsi, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio State Parks Foundation, Ohio Governor's Office of Appalachia and Buckeye Hills Regional Council.

🎉 You're invited! 🎉

Join the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Division of Parks and Watercraft as we cut the ribbon on something truly special at Strouds Run State Park! 🌳

📅 July 1
🕙 10 a.m.
📍 Strouds Run State Park Beach Area

We’re celebrating the grand opening of a brand-new inclusive playground, accessible beach walkway, ADA kayak launch, and restroom upgrades—all designed to make sure everyone can enjoy the outdoors.

From sensory-friendly play equipment to improved access for beachgoers and paddlers, this project is all about welcoming all visitors.

Come see what happens when community spirit meets the great outdoors! 💚

Ohio, The Heart of it All
Athens City-County Health Department

05/08/2025

Athens County CHC recently partnered with Athens County Public Libraries, Athens Bicycle Club and Franklinton Cycle Works to host a bike repair event at the Glouster library branch. The rain did not stop Glouster comunity members from coming out to work on their bikes with skilled mechanics and friendly librarians!