Buena Vista County declares May 19 Walk Day to boost wellness

A countywide walk campaign is taking aim at a stubborn number in Buena Vista County: an estimated 40 percent obesity rate that ranks the county 36th in Iowa. Public Health Administrator Tracy Gotto told supervisors the trend is still moving the wrong way, even as Buena Vista County Public Health and Home Care presses ahead with its remaining Community Health Improvement Plan goal.

The Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors approved a proclamation declaring May 19 as Buena Vista County Walk Day, with a rain date of May 26. Gotto and Assistant Administrator Lacey Anderson brought the request to the board, tying it to a broader effort called Walking Away to a Healthier Buena Vista. The goal is not just to stage a symbolic walk, but to make walking visible across the county and easier to repeat every day.

Public health leaders are pointing residents to places already familiar to them: county parks, local trails and the nearly complete loop around Storm Lake. The department also is working with the city on bench-workout signs for parks, giving people simple exercises they can do with equipment already built into the landscape. Residents are being encouraged to walk over the lunch hour wherever they are and submit photos for social media, a push meant to make the campaign feel like a shared county challenge rather than a single event.

The health department’s message fits a longer planning effort that began in the fall of 2015, when Buena Vista County Public Health and Home Care met with local stakeholders, reviewed county health data and developed a five-year plan to improve health outcomes. The department says its mission is to protect, promote and improve community health through education, services and community programs, including efforts that encourage healthy behaviors, physical activity and better eating habits.

The timing of the county push comes as updated obesity data continue to sharpen the public-health picture. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps released updated county obesity data on March 25, 2026 using 2023 data. The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative says about 36.6 percent of adults in Iowa have obesity, and County Health Rankings says adult obesity is linked to higher risks of hypertension, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, chronic inflammation, mental illness and some cancers.

The proclamation was listed on the board’s April 14 special-session agenda for an 8:45 a.m. appointment with Gotto, showing the idea moved through formal county channels before approval. Buena Vista County Public Health and Home Care operates from 1709 East Richland in Storm Lake, where Gotto and Anderson are listed as contacts for the county’s health and human-services network.