Orlando Health Teams up with YMCA of Central Florida to Help Breast Cancer Patients

ORLANDO, Fla. (April 20, 2024)  — Orlando Health and the YMCA of Central Florida have announced a new partnership that allows Orlando Health breast cancer patients to prioritize their physical health through the LIVESTRONG program. Participants will receive a free one-year membership at the Roper YMCA Family Center located in Winter Garden.

“Exercise has been shown to improve a patient’s recovery from treatment and potentially improve their overall prognosis” said Jeffery Smith, MD, surgical oncologist at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute. “We look forward to continuing to expand these services as we strongly believe they complement our high-quality standard of care and foster better patient outcomes.”

The 12-week program, which supports survivors of any type of cancer, focuses on cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, balance and flexibility exercises in two weekly classes. Additionally, participants will be assessed on fitness and quality of life before and after participation. They also have access to YMCA-certified instructors.

“We look forward to welcoming these brave cancer survivors at the Y to continue their wellness journey,” said Kevin Bolding, YMCA of Central Florida president and CEO, "As a catalyst for community health, the Y highly values and relies on crucial partnerships like this with Orlando Health to broaden our impact and help meet the evolving needs across our community.”

The idea for the YMCA partnership occurred as an extension of a year-long program Orlando Health- Health Central Hospital has been developing with Orlando Health Cancer Institute.

Physical and occupational therapy departments evaluate and engage with patients at the beginning of their cancer treatment in a program called “pre-hab.” This early consultation allows medical staff to assess and provide an individualized exercise program which patients can perform before and during treatment. Once Orlando Health’s treatment team determines the patient’s acute treatment has concluded, the patient can review options for ongoing exercise and wellness including programs at the YMCA.

Exercise, nutrition, and stress management have been shown to be incredibly important to a patient’s recovery following cancer care. These efforts have been shown to reduce the chance of cancer returning, as well as improve overall health.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a private, not-for-profit healthcare organization with $9.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico.

Founded more than 100 years ago, the healthcare system is recognized around the world for Central Florida’s only pediatric and adult Level I Trauma program as well as the only state-accredited Level II Adult Trauma Center in Pinellas County. It is the home of one of the nation’s largest neonatal intensive care units, one of the only systems in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida, the site of an Olympic athlete training facility and operator of one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. Orlando Health has pioneered life-changing medical research and its Graduate Medical Education program hosts more than 350 residents and fellows.

The 3,487-bed system includes 33 hospitals and emergency departments – 26 of which are currently operational with seven coming soon. The system also includes nine specialty institutes, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility under the management of Acadia Healthcare, and more than 375 outpatient facilities that include physician clinics, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. More than 4,950 physicians, representing more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs more than 29,000 team members and more than 1,400 physicians.

In FY 23, Orlando Health cared for 197,000 inpatients and 6.6 million outpatients.  The healthcare system provided nearly $1.3 billion in total impact to the communities it serves in the form of community benefit programs and services, Medicare shortfalls, bad debt, community-building activities and capital investments in FY 22, the most recent period for which this information is available.

Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.

About YMCA of Central Florida

Driven by its Christian mission, the YMCA of Central Florida serves as a leading 501c(3) nonprofit committed to strengthening the community. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they're from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake and Marion Counties. To learn more, visit ymcacf.org and follow on Facebook or Instagram.