The Portage YMCA has partnered with St. Mary Medical Center to provide its members with outstanding programs and nursing care.
Danny Gonzalez, a registered nurse from St. Mary who works at the YMCA, spoke to the Portage Exchange Club at the April 17 Breakfast meeting at Miller’s Senior Living Community Room.
Gonzalez started his presentation with some sobering facts and statistics concerning the state of health in America today: Fewer than one in three American adults eat the recommended amount of vegetables regularly; obesity is on the rise with the associated illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, strokes and cancer; the lower the level of education, the higher the incidence of poor nutrition and healthy choices.
Gonzalez said that St. Mary and the YMCA have joined the fight to bring proactive methods to the people of Portage. They have developed programs that support healthy eating, exercise and health care to empower the community. Many of the programs are open to everyone, not just members of the Y.
One of their goals is to bring the message of health and fitness into the community. To this end, they are involved in the Healthy Kids Fair at the Y, the Senior Health Fair and Valparaiso University’s nursing program. They are developing a program called Fit Trip to take into the schools. Super heroes such as The Rock, Flexibility, Cardio and Nutrition present the message of healthy living in a way children can understand and appreciate.
Gonzalez also said that several local churches have opened their doors to representatives from the Y and St. Mary.
“We bring our services to their service,” Gonzalez said. “We set up and talk to their parishioners before or after the church service, like a mini health fair. Our goal is optimal health at every age.”