As rates of obesity and chronic disease rise higher each year, it’s clear that our communities need innovative approaches to making sustainable lifestyle/behavior changes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define community-clinical linkages as mechanisms that “ensure that people with or at high risk of chronic diseases have access to the resources they need to prevent, delay, or manage chronic conditions once they occur. When clinical and community sectors work synergistically, they can improve care and support patients better than either of these sectors could do alone.”

The YMCA aims to improve our communities’ health by providing programs and activities that promote wellness, reduce risk for disease and help others reclaim their health. As a leading community based organization, the YMCA can serve as a trusted partner in extending the goals of the clinical sector into community settings. YMCA chronic disease prevention and management programs focus on long-term, relationship-based support for individuals in making small, sustainable lifestyle changes that have dramatic effects on health outcomes.