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Updated: April 16, 2022 @ 2:01 pm
The Greater Johnstown YMCA is focused on providing a safe space for students after school and on Friday evenings, CEO Shawn Sebring said.
Angie Berzonski
The Greater Johnstown YMCA is focused on providing a safe space for students after school and on Friday evenings, CEO Shawn Sebring said.
The Greater Johnstown YMCA is focused on providing a safe space for students after school and on Friday evenings, CEO Shawn Sebring said.
Angie Berzonski
The Greater Johnstown YMCA is focused on providing a safe space for students after school and on Friday evenings, CEO Shawn Sebring said.
As you shake off the winter doldrums, it’s easy to catch yourself daydreaming about the opportunities that will come along with the warmer days ahead.
Some of those dreams are more likely to be long-term aspirations.
But hopefully you have a few in mind that will become a reality because you’ve established a plan and the resources to get there.
Likewise, when you consider your hopes and dreams for our community, there are sure to be some ideas that seem a bit lofty and others that could be implemented immediately with a well-coordinated plan for action.
Identifying those opportunities to turn dreams into realities, specifically as they relate to our overall well-being, is the focus of the Vision Together 2025 Health & Wellness Working Group.
With input from broad sectors, five priority areas related to health have bubbled to the top in terms of both need and opportunity to realistically make an impact.
With an eye on metrics such as the County Health Rankings Data (newest rankings will be released on April 27), local nutrition data, third-grade reading levels, and more; the group aims to make improvements that are focused on our residents’ most basic needs.
We know that in many cases these needs are not yet being met. A coordinated effort, in which many different sectors have the opportunity to openly discuss their needs and challenges, is helping to connect the dots and, in some cases, share resources.
The five priority areas identified as a health and wellness focus for this group this year are: mental and behavioral health; physical health (including access, exercise, education, and outreach); substance use prevention, treatment and recovery; early childhood care, development and education; and social determinants of health (including food security, housing and homelessness and transportation).
The key to ensuring that we can move any and all of these efforts forward is open communication. That’s why we’re pleased to have input from so many community partners.
Here are just a few of the projects our partners are working on:
• Natalie Kauffman, executive director of the Cambria County Drug Coalition, says, “We look forward to positively impacting matters linked to Substance Use Disorder in Greater Johnstown by utilizing evidence-based prevention programs, stigma reduction campaigns, and support for recovery resources.”
• With a focus on access and outreach for improved physical health, Jeannine McMillan, 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health’s executive director, said, “The Community Care HUB is a partnership among local agencies who employ community health workers to find and connect at-risk individuals to needed services. They meet with clients face-to-face, then guide them through completion of one or more of 21 Pathways designed to address those needs.”
• Likewise, the Greater Johnstown YMCA has a focus on physical health, especially as related to our youth.
“The Johnstown Y has been working hard this school year to engage middle school-age youth,” Shawn Sebring, chief executive officer, said.
“We’ve provided a safe space for more than 100 students afterschool and on Friday evenings, where students are involved with physical activity and participate in club programs. Our staff and volunteers are mentoring and supporting students by help-ing youth have good relationships and a sense of belonging.”
YMCA Program Director Quan Britt added, “To keep the kids moving, we do workouts in our Nautilus room or in our multi-purpose space. They run or walk the track, and they play games. Students also participate in STEM activities, in chess club, esports club and journal daily to help with mental health.”
• Karen Struble Myers, president and CEO of the United Way of the Laurel Highlands has been one of the drivers behind the Early Learning Initiative.
“This effort is an opportunity to develop strategies, opportunities and collaborations that strengthen our youngest learners,” she said.
“Using a whole-child approach, we seek to make investments that support children’s health, economic security, learning, nutrition and safety. We envision a supportive ecosystem that makes our region a great place to raise a family.”
If you have an interest or concern in one of the five priority areas mentioned above, reach out to Vision Together 2025 to be connected to a community partner who can help.
Angie Berzonski is the associate director for Community Foundation for the Alleghenies.
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