 The Nashville Collaborative – Building Healthy Families and Neighborhoods History in the making: The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Metro Parks have joined together in the nation’s first and only active partnership of its kind to offer community services and programs to Nashville’s children and families. The goal is to keep children healthy and active to maintain healthy weight and prevent chronic disease. The site of The Nashville Collaborative is at the newly renovated Coleman Park Regional Community Center, located within the heart of one of Nashville’s most culturally vibrant and fastest growing communities (384 Thompson Lane, Nashville, 37211). This region, in particular, was selected for the Collaborative’s main location, demonstrating the commitment of both the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital and Metro Parks to engage families and promote wellness within this exciting community. A Unique Vision: The Nashville Collaborative seeks to bring the community together with academic researchers in order to develop and implement community-based, family-centered programs that improve children’s health. The first health issue that the Collaborative will seek to address is childhood obesity prevention and treatment. Services Free to the Community: The Collaborative offers many new and exciting opportunities for families to live healthier as well as learn healthy habits in a family-friendly atmosphere. Most of these services are provided to the community at no cost and the Coleman Center’s recreational facilities are free to the public with the exception of the fitness room, which requires a small fee. The Collaborative will offer a wide range of activities, varying anywhere from a teaching kitchen to health education provided by Vanderbilt medical personnel. Some of these services include: 1. Health and Wellness Services to enhance the active programs and benefits at Metro Parks, Coleman Community Center. These activities will help families to make the most of their time while exercising at the gym, fitness center, indoor swimming pool, as well as on the new soccer and softball fields, walking tracks, and more. 2. Hands-On Skills-Building activities that help children build vital computer skills while learning about healthy living. This unique, hands-on opportunity is made possible by the Dell Foundation, which has provided state-of-the-art laptop computers and equipment to teach children how to surf the web and gather information about health and wellness. 3. A Learning Lab for families, community organizations, and researchers to share ideas and test innovative programs that help children stay healthy and active. 4. Health Days with health screening such as blood pressure checks, weight and height measurements as well as education from Vanderbilt medical staff on staying healthy. 5. A Teaching Kitchen to provide opportunities for families to learn about preparing healthy and inexpensive meals and snacks in a fun and family friendly setting. The Nashville Collaborative events are set to launch this summer. The programming changes monthly so look for the calendar of events at the front desk of the Coleman Center, which is located at the intersection of Nolensville Road and Thompson Lane, or call the center at 615-862-8445 for more information. Written by Brad Hill, Vanderbilt Medical Student
|
