St. Joseph’s Health and Wayne YMCA Team Up for Community Health

St. Joseph’s Health and the Wayne YMCA have teamed up to strategically address community health issues with a focus on prevention and intervention.

St. Joseph’s is now the Wayne YMCA’s Signature Partner for Healthy Living, lending its medical expertise and commitment to the community to support wellness initiatives in towns served by both the YMCA and St. Joseph’s.

“We’re grateful for St. Joseph’s generosity and honored that it sees the YMCA as an equal partner in our shared quest to improve the health of our communities,” Wayne YMCA Executive Director Laura Tiedge said. “Too often, efforts to improve health are focused on treating disease, but together we seek to achieve that goal by focusing on community-level factors that can prevent illness.”

St. Joseph’s and the Wayne YMCA have established strong ties over the years, collaborating on health fairs, workplace wellness programs and community events such as Healthy Kids Day.

“This collaboration will allow us to rigorously assess the health and needs of our communities and improve the lives of families living in our region,” said Jennifer Mendrzycki, vice president and site executive of St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center.

“By working together, St. Joseph’s and the Wayne YMCA can reach deeper into the community, especially into underserved populations, and improve patient outcomes and our community’s overall health,” Mendrzycki said.

The Wayne YMCA and St. Joseph’s will soon launch Prescribe the Y, a program that allows doctors to prescribe patients who struggle with obesity and other chronic conditions enrollment in a 12-week small group physical activity class at the YMCA. Patients will be supervised by certified personal trainers who have earned the advanced Exercise is Medicine credential through the American College on Sports Medicine (ACSM).

In addition to ongoing support from a wellness coach, Prescribe the Y will provide participants a customized exercise plan and nutrition education. They and their families can also enjoy a free 12-week membership to the YMCA. A similar program at the Sussex County YMCA has an impressive track record: since its debut in 2009, it has helped more than 1,460 adults and children transform physically and mentally. “The goal is to help people improve their health through a supportive intervention, and develop healthy habits that can be maintained for life,” Tiedge said.

St. Joseph’s is supporting the YMCA in other ways too. This month, St. Joseph’s will sponsor the Metro YMCA’s annual golf tournament for a second time. It also sponsored Healthy Kids Day in May.

“These kinds of collaborations turn attention toward holistic community needs first, toward the people,” said Metro YMCA Chief Development Officer Lisa Kelly. “Alone, we don’t have the full view of the situation, but when we all sit down at the table together, we share our multiple perspectives to develop approaches that effectively address pressing community issues.” With St. Joseph’s taking on the role of Signature Partner for Healthy Living, the Wayne YMCA is now seeking community change agents to invest in its two other focus areas, youth development and social responsibility.

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Photo Caption: St. Joseph's Health presented the Wayne YMCA with a check to support healthy living initiatives. (L-R): St. Joseph's Health President and CEO Kevin J. Slavin; Jennifer K. Mendrzycki, vice president and site executive of St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center; Wayne YMCA Executive Director Laura Tiedge; and Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges President and CEO Richard K. Gorab.

ABOUT THE Y

Established in 1885, the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges invests in its diverse communities to promote wellness, safety and quality of life for children, adults and seniors. Its seven branches in East Orange, Livingston, Maplewood, Hackensack, Hardyston, Stillwater and Wayne are committed to nurturing the potential of kids, promoting healthy living and fostering a sense of social responsibility through an array of programs. Some 35,000 people belong to the Metro Y, which awards more than $2.8 million annually in direct and indirect financial assistance.

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH’S HEALTH

Founded in 1867 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, St. Joseph’s Health is a world-class hospital and healthcare network supported by over 5,000 leading and renowned physicians, nurses and care teams. The health system operates a full continuum of care, including a regional tertiary care medical center (St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson), a state-designated children’s hospital (St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Paterson), an acute care medical center (St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center in Wayne Township), a rehabilitation and long-term care facility (St. Joseph’s Healthcare & Rehab Center in Cedar Grove), a comprehensive home care program (Visiting Health Services of New Jersey), and multiple outpatient diagnostic and treatment centers throughout Northern New Jersey. U.S. News & World Report recognized St. Joseph’s University Medical Center as a Best Hospital in the New York Metropolitan Area and among the Top 10 Hospitals in the State of New Jersey for 2017-2018. St. Joseph’s is a four time recipient of the Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence and was the first health system in the United States to launch an Alternatives to Opioids Program (ALTO), a highly successful and unique approach to acute pain management without the use of opioids.