{"id":36136,"date":"2024-11-22T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=36136"},"modified":"2024-11-20T16:06:11","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T21:06:11","slug":"ymca-of-greater-brandywine-becomes-1st-ymca-in-us-to-receive-medical-fitness-association-facility-certification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/?p=36136","title":{"rendered":"YMCA of Greater Brandywine becomes 1st YMCA in US to receive medical fitness association facility certification"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Representatives from the YMCA of Greater Brandywine (YGBW) and the Medical Fitness Association (MFA) attend the Medical Fitness Association conference in New Orleans, LA, where YGBW was recognized for being the first YMCA association in
the nation to earn the Medical Fitness Facility Certification from MFA. Pictured (Left to Right): Terri Edgar; Heather W. Wilson; David Flench, FACHE, FMFA; Veronica Lopez, RN; Jackie Canan<\/p><\/div>\n

The YMCA of Greater Brandywine makes history this month as the first YMCA Association in the nation to attain Medical Fitness Facility Certification by the Medical Fitness Association (MFA). This milestone is especially notable as the eight branches of YGBW are the only facilities in the state of Pennsylvania to hold this certification. The initiative was the brainchild of President & CEO, Bertram L. Lawson II, and well executed under the leadership of Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Heather Worthy Wilson.<\/p>\n

The MFA Facility Certification is recognized as a mark of excellence in the health and wellness industry, serving as the only certification offered to facilities in the medical fitness industry\u2014an industry that serves over four million members worldwide. Certified facilities, including YGBW, provide members with professional expertise and high-quality programming to help them develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle and minimize the risk of illness and disease.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cToday is a proud day at the YMCA of Greater Brandywine,\u201d shares President and CEO, Bertram L. Lawson II. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason why our branches are the only facilities in the state to have earned certification by the Medical Fitness Association. The standards are extremely high \u2013 and our team worked incredibly hard to earn this great honor.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cHealth is a universal need of all people,\u201d he continues. \u201cEarning this certification verifies YGBW\u2019s expertise in supporting our community from prevention to recovery and points in between.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cAs the incidence of chronic disease continues to rise, the need for medical fitness facilities to offer a high standard of programming for the communities they serve is more important than ever,\u201d said David Flench, FACHE, FMFA, President and CEO of MFA. \u201cStudies have shown that when people maintain an active lifestyle, especially in a safe environment, they reduce the risk of illness down the road. The YMCA of Greater Brandywine has taken an important step in providing this extraordinary level of care.\u201d<\/div>\n
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MFA\u2019s Medical Fitness Facility Certification is based on internationally recognized standards and guidelines for Medical Fitness Facilities and involves an in-depth, on-site review of a facility\u2019s adherence to a set of prescribed standards and guidelines. Certified facilities are those that provide a high level of quality and safety in the programs and services, enabling them to become fully integrated into the local continuum of healthcare.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe recognize that there are many providers that make up the healthcare continuum,\u201d says Heather W. Wilson, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at YGBW. \u201cEvery provider has a role to play in support of public health \u2013 including the YMCA.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWith MFA\u2019s Medical Fitness Facility Certification, we are demonstrating to physicians and the medical community that we are a trusted resource for patient referrals. This is a big step toward building a modern healthcare continuum that includes fitness and nutrition expertise from qualified providers. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships within the medical community to achieve public health goals.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re taking a patient-centered approach,\u201d adds Veronica L. Lopez, RN, VP of Health Strategies at YGBW. \u201cPatients are overwhelmed with healthcare options and the fragmentation along the continuum. Most people understand that movement and nutrition can help prevent, fight and heal chronic disease. But it can be overwhelming and isolating identifying what specific steps to take and challenging to stay the course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYGBW wants to be a partner in this process. Our team is educated, qualified and certified to help patients on their journey \u2013 and help physicians ensure a more 360-degree approach to healthcare. We can all grow stronger by working together.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

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Wilson and Lopez represented team YGBW at the Medical Fitness Association conference in New Orleans, LA this week, where YGBW was recognized for achieving this great honor.<\/div>\n
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About YGBW\u2019s Medical Fitness Facility Certification:<\/b> https:\/\/ymcagbw.org\/healthy-living\/medical-fitness-facility-ymca-greater-brandywine<\/a><\/u><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The YMCA of Greater Brandywine makes history this month as the first YMCA Association in the nation to attain Medical Fitness Facility Certification by the Medical Fitness Association (MFA). This milestone is especially notable as the eight branches of YGBW are the only facilities in the state of Pennsylvania to hold this certification. The initiative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3912,12766,2352],"class_list":["post-36136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-featured","tag-medical-fitness-facility-certification","tag-ymca-of-the-brandywine-valley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36136"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36137,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36136\/revisions\/36137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coatesvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}