At Live HealthSmart Alabama, we pride ourselves on the work we do to help communities take charge of their health—through education, physical activity, prevention & wellness, or good nutrition. Our partners are like-minded organizations with similar values. One partner is creating a community that is not bound by geography, but connected by the experiences people have with one another, a place where all its members can belong.
About the YMCA of Greater Birmingham
The YMCA of Greater Birmingham, wants visitors to do more than join, they want people to fit in. By fostering a sense of community, the Y is helping people find ways to get fit based on their interests. From group swimming classes and summer camp to youth sports, Kindergarten Readiness, and more, the Y helps patrons find their “why.”
Since its establishment in 1883, just 13 years after the city of Birmingham was founded, the Y has been dedicated to creating healthy communities. With their hyper-local establishments that span across eight Greater Birmingham YMCA facilities and two youth centers, the Y builds strong relationships and connections with its communities. This rapport creates a two-way street in which people help provide a greater understanding of the neighborhood and the service gaps in their areas. In turn, the Y listens and adjusts to the needs of its people.
President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Birmingham, Dan Pile, explained, “Throughout our 140 year history, we’ve adapted to address the changing needs of our visitors.
“For example, in the 1970s, the Y became one of the most significant childcare providers in the nation because there was a societal shift and women went to work. This created a need for childcare that the Y was happy to address. More recently, when COVID hit, we pivoted to address the learning loss faced by children and to be more inclusive of people experiencing difficulties with isolation” added Pile.
Partnership with Live HealthSmart Alabama
Like the YMCA, Live HealthSmart Alabama uses its relationships in the community to identify and address needs. Having already established a presence in the revitalization communities that LHSA is working in, the Y embraced a partnership between the two organizations to help bring structure and a trusted framework to the neighborhood.
Roughly one in 10 Alabamians are living without health insurance. Live HealthSmart Alabama’s Mobile Wellness van makes visits to underserved communities throughout the greater Birmingham area. At each of these stops, community members are encouraged to visit the unit—at no cost to them—to learn their key health metrics such as height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and more.
In just 15-minutes, patients learn what their body needs to stay healthy. And, if positive lifestyle changes are needed, the Mobile Wellness team can recommend an 8-week program at the local YMCA that includes all the Y’s health and fitness activities at no cost to the patient. Churches in partnership communities also receive diabetes prevention planning, weight loss programs, and participation in walking clubs.
Pile shares, “I respect the work that Live HealthSmart Alabama is doing. I look forward to seeing their model take hold and expand to even more communities in Jefferson County and Alabama.”
