Unique Model – Valparaiso Family YMCA + Methodist Hospital = Wellness

Bob-and-Dr-MOnly at the Valparaiso Family YMCA can you find a Doctor an MD, Dr. Jerry Kuna, and a RN, April Spangler, from Methodist Hospitals on call several days a week. Closely aligned missions brought these two nonprofit organizations together. This two year partnership has resulted in a shared goal of wanting to change the way health care is delivered in Northwest Indiana; and what better way to achieve it than through a community gathering place of over 15,000 members, like the community YMCA.

The Doctor from Methodist physician, Dr. Jerry Kuna, Family Medicine specialist, is an expert in all phases of family medicine for all ages, women’s health, adolescent care, pediatrics, geriatric care, disease prevention and wellness. Dr. Kuna says,” I am dedicated to treating the individual as a ‘whole person’, attending to emotional and psycho-social need, as well as physical needs.”

April Spangler, RN, says,” the most rewarding thing about working at the Y is the interaction with the Y members and the community.” “It is such a different experience that working at a hospital; here you get to know people, their needs, medications and they trust you to work with their health issues to give them support, and answer questions, things that a conventional medical organization could not do.”

Another member of this unique team is Dave Howe, a Relationship Manager, who works for Methodist Hospitals, but he is on site at the Valparaiso Family YMCA. Dave is part of the management team at the Y and comments “this relationship delivers the clinical piece in a preventive, wellness form pairing perfectly with the YMCA health & fitness principals. It lets the members and community be responsible for their own health. Many screenings held by Methodist have led to early diagnosis of high blood pressure, early cancer detection and high cholesterol.”

Bob Wanek, CEO Valparaiso Family YMCA says, “The Methodist Hospitals and Valpo Y families are woven together to compliment deliver a unique depth of services to Y members and the community…from amazing health fairs, to engaging wellness seminars, to weekly screenings. Members have reflected “they really care about our health”.”

Dr. Michael Davenport, President and CEO of Methodist Hospitals, reflects that “our shared mission to improve the health of our communities really helped us to bond from the start. Together we are looking forward to further expanding the services we are able to provide to the Valparaiso community as we move forward.”