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The Y receives grant to implement EnhanceFitness program!
1/12/2011 8:18:57 AM
YMCA of the Capital Area Collaborates with CDC to Help Increase Strength and Physical Activity for People Living with Arthritis
The Y receives grant to implement EnhanceFitness® program locally
Baton Rouge, La January 9, 2011 –The YMCA has been awarded a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) to implement Senior Services EnhanceFitness®, a program that can help people with arthritis become stronger and more physically active.
The YMCA is one of eight Ys selected to participate in a study funded by CDC through the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors to expand the EnhanceFitness program to individuals residing in states currently not reached through CDC-funded arthritis programs.
“Offering EnhanceFitness with the Y allows us to expand our reach to people living with arthritis who may have concerns about safely initiating exercise and are in need of tailored programs appropriate for their physical abilities,” said Dr. Wayne Giles, MD., MS., Director of the Division of Adult and Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Our collaboration with the Y is ideal given the Y’s expertise in healthy living, broad reach and range of health and well-being resources for people of all ages and abilities.”
EnhanceFitness is designed to boost activity levels among program participants, so that they are able to engage in physical activities that arthritis and/or other chronic conditions had prevented them from doing in the past. Another goal of the program is to elevate mood through exercise to help participants feel better physically and emotionally. EnhanceFitness is a component of ProjectEnhance®, a program studied and developed by the University of Washington Health Promotion Resource Center and administered by Senior Services of Seattle, Wash., a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing essential services to support the independence of older adults.
“At the Y, we are committed to helping everyone in the community become stronger and live healthier lives,” said Kristen Hogan, Marketing Director for the YMCA of the Capital Area “We are excited to incorporate EnhanceFitness into our health and well-being programming so that we can offer people with arthritis additional resources and guidance to live empowered, independent lives.”
This gift will be used to provide extensive instructor training and participant tools that will allow the YMCA of the Capital Area to help launch the program at three different locations. The program is now being offered at the A.C. Lewis YMCA, Dow Westside YMCA and Southside YMCA
In addition to EnhanceFitness, the YMCA of the Capital Area offers a wide array of health and well-being programs and services that help individuals of all ages be healthy, confident and connected to others. They include: group exercise classes, volunteer opportunities, three steps to fitness, water exercise, personal training and much more!
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About ProjectEnhance
Project Enhance® administers two award-winning, community-based health programs for older adults: EnhanceFitness® and EnhanceWellness®. Developed from years of solid scientific research and hands-on experience, these evidence-based programs can now be found at over 450 sites around the country, with more opening every day at community sites such as senior centers, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and continuing-care retirement communities. Project Enhance promotes the emotional, social, and physical well being of older adults through the dissemination of evidence-based programs and in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Arthritis Program (CDC AP), Group Health Cooperative (Seattle, WA), University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center (UW HPRC), United Way of King County (Seattle, WA), Aging and Disability Services of Seattle/King County, the Area Agency on Aging for Seattle and King County, WA, and the National Council on Aging.
About the Y
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,687 Ys engage 21 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. www.ymcabatonrouge.org
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