Portage YMCA & NorthShore Health Centers Join Forces
By Shannon Burhans | December 9, 2021
The Portage Township YMCA and NorthShore Health Centers announce a new 2-year partnership to address critical health and wellness needs in the community. Both non-profit organizations share a purpose and passion for progressively building a healthier community. The two have teamed up in the past on community health initiatives and NorthShore has also been a sponsor of the Portage Township YMCA’s Annual Turkey Trot.
“We have been fortunate to have partnered with outstanding medical partners in the past with the most recent being St. Mary Medical Center. That partnership has been beneficial to the Portage Township YMCA, our members, and the Portage community. We will no doubt continue to work with St. Mary’s on some projects, but we are truly excited about this new venture,” states Shannon Burhans, President & CEO for the Portage Township YMCA.
This new partnership will focus on community wellness and education with several co-branded programs. NorthShore will also provide healthcare assistance on site at the Portage Township YMCA. NorthShore’s mission is to ensure that each individual has a medical home and access to the highest quality health care, regardless of sex, age, race, social or cultural standing, and/or ability to pay. This lines up well with the YMCA’s mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.
“Through this unique collaboration, we will be able to extend the continuum of care for our patients by connecting them with programs and services that will help them continue to improve their health,” said David Hall, CEO of NorthShore Health Centers.
In addition, the Portage Township YMCA will expand its mission to enhance healthy living in our community by providing information to Northshore patients about evidence-based programming. Programs offered at the Portage YMCA include Blood Pressure Self Monitoring, Healthy Weight and Your Child, and Enhance®Fitness, which is an exercise and fall prevention program. The Portage Y will also connect Northshore patients with nutrition related programming, such as Cooking Matters. This is a free class designed to teach families how to prepare a healthy meal on a budget. Also, they will connect families to their free healthy supper for any school age child, served Monday-Friday.
“The Portage Township YMCA has been a leader of healthy living in the community for 44 years. NorthShore’s long time commitment to providing Portage with quality affordable healthcare, dental, and pharmacy will allow the two organizations to share resources and leverage unique assets which will result in new or better services for our community,” said Burhans.
The two organizations are looking for input from the community regarding programs, screenings, or educational seminars that may be of interest to the community. If you would like to provide input, please fill out the following survey: https://forms.gle/
To find out more about the Northshore Health Center/Portage Township YMCA partnership, visit www.northshorehealth.org.
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