COMMUNITY HEALTH
Barb Clint, Director of Community Health and Advocacy
(216) 263-6293
bclint@clevelandymca.org
The Healthy Communities Initiative brings health services to inner-city neighborhoods, reaching residents who might otherwise only seek health care at a hospital emergency room. The program promotes a healthier community, with a special emphasis on African-American and Latino residents.
Education, screening and prevention programs are offered at Cleveland neighborhood recreation centers through the program.
The free screenings target such conditions as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Residents using the recreation centers help determine what kind of activities are offered. An on-site Y staff member works with rec center employees to present needed programs.
Participating centers are: Clark, Fairfax, Glenville, Gunning, Ken Johnson, Kovacic, Lonnie Burton, Stella Walsh, Sterling, Thurgood Marshall, Zelma George and Michael Zone.
Cleveland State University assists in administering the screenings and entering patient information into a database so that it can be tracked and analyzed.
Partners in the project include NEON Health Services, the Fairview/Lakewood/Lutheran Hospital Parish Nurse program, MetroHealth Medical Center and the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland.
CLEVELANDERS IN MOTION
Barb Clint, Director of Community Health and Advocacy
(216) 263-6293
bclint@clevelandymca.org
The Clevelanders in Motion program is designed to help Clevelanders integrate healthy lifestyle choices into their daily activities. Our goal is to inspire residents to move more, eat better and have fun along the way!
Program Development & Partners
Working in close partnership with the city’s Department of Public Health and a host of other community partners, Clevelanders in Motion was created to address the health risks associated with the area’s high rates of overweight and obesity.
All programs developed to date are based on the recommendations of a broad-based community think tank comprised of 120 participants from Cleveland’s medical, academic, public health, and park and recreation realms.
Based on these recommendations, Clevelanders in Motion has developed such marketing materials as Healthy Recipe postcards in partnership with OSU Extension Service and Dave’s Supermarkets, a downtown walking map with the support of Medical Mutual of Ohio, and neighborhood walking maps in partnership with the Steps to a Healthier Cleveland program and eight neighborhood community development organizations.
Additionally, Clevelanders in Motion created a Cleveland Division of Water- supported "Water is Cool" educational campaign to promote the importance of adequate water consumption. A Free Exercise Equipment campaign was also developed, in partnership with the Steps to a Healthier Cleveland program, to promote stair walking.
Clevelanders in Motion participates in about three dozen community health and fitness events throughout the year sponsored by its many partners. Generous program supporters to date include:
- Fairview/Lutheran Foundation
- Mt. Sinai Community Health Care Foundation
- Cleveland Foundation
- St. Luke’s Foundation
- Cleveland Department of Public Health’s Steps to a Healthier Cleveland program
- Cleveland Division of Water
- Alcoa Foundation
- Gries Family Foundation
Additional in-kind supporters include Dave’s Supermarkets, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Clear Channel Outdoor, Medical Mutual of Ohio and Omni Media.
We Run This City Youth Marathon Program
Tara Taylor, Program Director
ttaylor@clevelandymca.org
(216)263-6298
We Run This City Youth Marathon Program is a collaboration between the Y of Greater Cleveland, the Cleveland Department of Public Health, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.
The 14-week program strives to teach young people to set and achieve goals by preparing them to run in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. But crossing the finish line is just the beginning - students leave the program with greater self-confidence and increased levels of fitness and endurance.
The Marathon Program was launched in 2006 with 81 middle-school runners. The program nearly doubled in 2007 with 150 participants. Additional changes to the program in 2007 included the addition of a team of 10K runners and walkers and expanded race day events.A total of 283 runners participated in the 2008 race and over 400 school students ran in 2009. For more information about the program, call Tara Taylor at (216)263-6298 or email her at ttaylor@clevelandymca.org.
Facts and Statistics
- At the start of the 2008 program, more than a third of students said their neighborhoods weren't safe for outdoor physical activity.
- A quarter of students who trained to run the 10K in 2008 started the program as overweight—a statistic well above the national average for both boys and girls.
- Students identified the fact that they “like to run” as the number one reason that they participated in the program in 2008.
- In 2009 runners indicated that the best parts of participating in the Marathon Program were “accomplishing goals”, “being a part of a team,” and “getting in shape”, as opposed to receiving incentives such as shoes. These results suggest that the program achieved its goal of promoting self confidence and a sense of empowerment.
- In 2009 runners’ perceptions of their own body image before and after the program was important in tracking changes in self-esteem. Post-test results indicate that over 90% of participants reported that they either felt better (72%) or the same (21%) about their bodies after completing the program.
- Participants reported a significant increase in support for healthy behaviors from both their peers and their family members.