The YMCA of the Capital Area serves a diverse population in the Baton Rouge community. Through their MOVEMENT MATTER initiatives, the YMCA aims to broaden its outreach to those with Parkinson’s in their region through four specific avenues:
- Establish a support group for those living with Parkinson’s and their families/caregivers.
- Broaden awareness, education, and access. The YMCA of the Capital Area will continue to work with its local hospital and medical partners and the Parkinson’s Community Action Committee to offer ongoing access through workshops and educational seminars to include information on medical access, nutrition for Parkinson’s, and seminars on the importance of movement.
- Improve care for people with Parkinson’s. Starting in 2022, they will partner with North Oaks Hospital and the FRAN-U internship program (Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University), allowing young healthcare professionals to gain first-hand experience of the impact of Parkinson’s in the community, deepen their understanding of the disease, and hone their best practices for future treatment regarding collaboration in interdisciplinary patient care.
- Establish a Pedaling for Parkinson’s Healthy Lifestyle Program & Provide Facility Access. They will deliver this 60-minute program two to three times per week to support healthy living for people with Parkinson’s.
- Sarah Broekhoven, Registered Dietitian
- Katherine Whiteley, Member Services and Wellness Director
- Kelli Templet, Member Services and Wellness Director
- Mischa Pizzolato, Member Services and Wellness Director
- Julie Russell, Executive Director of Healthy Lifestyles
- Emily Garrett, Marketing, Social Media Manager
- Randy LeBlanc, DPF Ambassador
Learn more about the YMCA of the Capital Area here.
We have put an indefinite hold on our Community Grants program as of January 2024.
When we started our HPC Community Grants Program in 2021, we did so because we saw a very real need to invest in grassroots solutions to challenges of access, awareness, and engagement, particularly in underserved communities. Since then, we have been able to invest $470,000 into programs that have moved the needle on creating a more complete path to care, health literacy, and living well in communities across the country.
This pause in community funding is not a pause in our commitment to advancing the agenda of equitable access and care for all people living with Parkinson’s. Nor is it a divestment in the power of grassroots organizing. While we aim to bring this granting program back in the future, we continue to invest in communities through our Healthy Parkinson’s Communities™ initiative and programs including our Ambassador Leadership program, HPC Network, Hispanic Community Engagement, and (most recently) Pedaling for Parkinson’s. Through this effort, we still intend to be a partner with leaders like you who have the vision and creativity necessary to change how people live with Parkinson’s in communities everywhere.