Founded in 2023, Healthy Fayette County (HFC) is a group of residents and local leaders who are committed to improving the health status of their community. This is no small challenge, as Fayette County has the second lowest life expectancy of the 92 counties in Indiana, according to the 2025 County Health Rankings. HFC leaders see collaboration as the key to addressing the complex and deeply-rooted barriers to health in the county. With funding from the Fayette Community Foundation through the General Federation of Women’s Clubs Fayette County, HFC hosted two workshops and completed a series of sessions focused on strengthening collaboration skills among partners.
Healthy Places by Design (HPbD) consulted with HFC on collaboration-focused workshops and provided training through a series of sessions in 2024-2025. In January 2025, HFC convened about 50 community partners at the Healthy Communities Work Together: The Art of Collaboration workshop. During the workshops, HPbD emphasized the importance of building trusting relationships as a foundation for collaboration on complex community issues. The workshop was a springboard for a series of monthly sessions facilitated by HPbD to build collaboration and leadership skills among HFC members and new partners. HFC gathered leaders again in June 2025 for a second workshop, Healthy Fayette County: From Talk to Action, at which HPbD presented on the “Why, What, and How” of collaboration.
The initial workshop in January 2025 brought several new partners to the monthly HFC sessions which focused on laying the groundwork for effective collaboration. The sessions included activities to deepen trust, establish agreements for working together including expectations for respectful interaction and openness to others’ perspectives and ideas. Session discussions helped HFC clarify its vision for a healthier and economically thriving county, talk with others in the community about the issues, and identify focus areas for collaboration. These sessions prepared HFC for the July 2025 workshop at which three subcommittees launched to move the group into the next phase of collaborative work. HFC member Tric Heepe reflected on the time HFC spent laying the groundwork for collaboration, saying “We now have a solid foundation to shape a healthier place.”