Athens, Ga (July 27, 2023) - As summer quickly winds to a close, Piedmont Athens Regional and Athens YMCA Summer Day Camp are celebrating another successful summer full of camp sessions in which nearly 400 children received health and safety education in a fun, interactive environment.
Community Health Educators from Piedmont Athens Regional provided weekly programming for the Athens YMCA Summer Day Camps. June’s programming focused on healthy eating and hydration, bicycle safety, fire safety, and babysitting.
April Dorsett, BSN, RN, is a community educator and Safe Kids coordinator for Piedmont Athens Regional. Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to help families and communities keep children safe from injuries. "Preventable injuries are the number one killer of Children in the United States," Dorsett said. "The YMCA summer camps give us a chance to work with a lot of kids and teach them healthy habits and the things they need to do to stay safe."
Although Piedmont Athens Regional employees lead many of the programs, community partners like the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department assist with safety activities. To help children learn about fire safety, the fire department has a Fire Safety House, which is a small trailer designed to look like a small house. During the safety exercise, the rooms fill with simulated smoke, the doors become warm to the touch, and working smoke detectors will activate, which helps teach the kids how to leave a building and what to do in case of a fire or emergency.
Piedmont Athens Regional and the Athens YMCA created a partnership in 2012 to promote wellness in our community. The shared goal of Piedmont Athens Regional and the YMCA is to increase awareness and knowledge while providing health programs to reduce risk factors associated with chronic diseases. Together, the two organizations are committed to empowering YMCA members and others in the community with access to information to improve their health.
Dorsett is also on site at the Athens YMCA two days a week to offer members free individual blood pressure screenings, nutrition consults, and certified wellness coaching. Members are referred to other Piedmont Athens Regional services if needed.
Another successful partnership between Piedmont Athens Regional and the YMCA is the Recovery Functional Wellness course, which is open to the community. The 10-week course, which consists of low-impact exercise and other wellness education, is designed for patients with Parkinson’s Disease, cancer, and other chronic health conditions that contribute to limited mobility.