CHRONIC CRISIS

How the First Coast YMCA Helps Those Fighting Chronic Disease

by Connie Smith, Director of Community Integrated Health Programs, First Coast YMCA

Wehave a major health crisis here in Northeast Florida. The impacts of the pandemic continue to be felt throughout the community, especially thru chronic diseases. In fact, of the five local counties (Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Clay, and Baker), at least three of them rank above the state average for arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The leading causes of hospitalization for all five counties? Either diabetes or heart failure. We must do something before more members of our community slip into potentially fatal circumstances.

The First Coast YMCA is addressing this ongoing crisis by launching/re-launching seven, evidence-based programs that advise the community how they can monitor their chronic diseases and potentially make changes to reduce their symptoms. They include: Exercise is Medicine, Diabetes Prevention, Diabetes Self-Management & Education, 12-Week Weight Loss, Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring, LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA, and EnhanceFitness. We’re working with local healthcare providers to make the referral process to these programs even easier so we can pick up where you left off with your doctor.

Let’s take diabetes, for example. Many people don’t know they have it. If you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes or think you might have it, you can enroll in our Diabetes Prevention Program, which is recognized by the Centers for Disease Control. It’s a year-long program broken down into 16 one-hour sessions every week followed by bi-weekly and monthly sessions. A trained lifestyle coach facilitates a small group of participants in learning about healthier eating, physical activity, and other behavioral changes.

Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes and aren’t sure how to manage it? Our Diabetes Self-Management & Education class consists of eight, one-hour classes that covers detailed information on nutrition, exercise, monitoring, medications, reducing risks and stress management. It’s open to anyone over the age of 18 who’s been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Perhaps you or someone you know is battling cancer? Nobody should have to face those challenges alone and the First Coast YMCA offers a truly remarkable program called LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA, which is open to anyone who is facing or has beaten cancer. We’re offering the program at seven locations this summer, including at the St. Augustine YMCA for the first time.

One of the most important things to remember about any of these seven programs is that you don’t have to be a member at the YMCA to participate. They’re available in all five counties in Northeast

Florida and we can work with you to address any financial barriers that exist. All we need from you is that you reach out to us. Contact us at myhealth@fcycma.org and ask about the chronic disease prevention programs and let us help you live a healthy lifestyle while turning the tide on these terrible diseases.