Bridging the Clinic-to-Community Gap: The YMCA of Columbia Hosts Forum to Explore Community Healthcare Improvements in South Carolina
June 27, 2015
COLUMBIA, SC – As part of YMCA of the USA’s (Y-USA) Healthier Communities Initiatives (HCI), the YMCA of Columbia was selected to host a Clinic-to-Community(C2C) listening forum on Thursday, June 25 at the Manor House at Senate’s End.
The YMCA of Columbia was among six Ys from around the country hosting forums, enabling stakeholders the opportunity to create a community partnership roadmap for improving access to healthcare and ultimately help people live longer and healthier lives.
With attendance from many community and public health officials, this town hall-like session explored the clinical landscape of the community, finding common barriers and determining the steps needed to create a plan for community partnerships to support patient health goals.
“The demand for innovation among health populations, particularly underserved populations, continues to grow and it is important for organizations like the Y to assume a leadership role in learning how to best address those needs on a national and local level,” said Wendy Broderick, Chief Development Officer of the YMCA of Columbia. “With Healthier Community Initiatives positively affecting more than 73 million lives to date through policy changes and various community improvements, the Y has a unique perspective to help rally local leaders to make meaningful, lasting change.”
Y-USA is recognized by national partners as a well-positioned National Governing Organization with the ability, resources and network to convene community and state level organizations in a defined and proven process to address policy, system and environmental approaches that can impact chronic disease. This is a natural progression from the many C2Cs that were developed throughout the nine-year history of HCI. This has been largely facilitated through community team initiatives that have been supported by members who represent various elements of the healthcare industry.
About the YMCA of Columbia
Over the past century and a half, the YMCA of Columbia has been a community-transforming institution, not only in the Midlands, but in the entire United States. The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Regardless of age, income or background – the Y works 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. The Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. Please visit www.columbiaymca.org for more information.
About Healthier Communities Initiatives
In 247 communities across the nation, Ys are working in collaboration with other community leaders on an intentional effort to ensure that healthy living is within reach of the people who live in those communities. Ys engaged in our Healthier Communities Initiatives (HCI) are helping families put healthier food on the table by bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to neighborhoods where there are no healthy food options; giving parents peace of mind when they let their kids walk to school by making safe routes to schools possible; helping to keep a generation of kids healthier by working with schools to increase physical education and physical activity during the school day or working with afterschool programs to provide additional opportunities outside the school day for physical activity; and that is just the tip of the iceberg. To date, communities participating in HCI have influenced more than 39,000 community-level changes.
