This generous grant from the Piper Trust will help us help more people learn about and adopt healthier lifestyles
SURPRISE, ARIZ (PRWEB) December 18, 2014
A Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust grant totaling $148,000 will enable Sun Health to expand its successful Center for Health & Wellbeing programs to the Southwest Valley in 2015.
“This generous grant from the Piper Trust will help us help more people learn about and adopt healthier lifestyles,” said Jennifer Drago, Sun Health’s executive vice president of Population Health.
The new Center will be co-located inside the La Loma Rehabilitation Center, located on Sun Health’s La Loma Village campus, 14260 Denny Blvd. in Litchfield Park. In January, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Tracy Garrett, and Exercise Physiologist and Health Coach Rhonda Zonoozi will begin teaching classes and providing individual consultations on nutrition, exercise, fitness and weight loss as well as specialized classes such as the diabetes self-management education series (accredited by the American Association of Diabetes Educators) and the diabetes prevention program (Developed by the Centers for Disease Control).
The grant from Piper Trust, obtained through Sun Health Foundation, will fund the expansion of health and wellness programs and equipment for the new Center, which initially will be open on Mondays and Wednesdays.
“Sun Health’s desire to help people engage actively in their health care and improve well-being for those with chronic diseases through new lifestyle modification programs will be a tremendous asset for the community—health care models like this allow people to age in place,” said Susan Pepin, M.D., president and CEO of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.
The original Sun Health Center for Health & Wellbeing, located at 14719 W. Grand Ave., opened in March with a focus on teaching adults how to manage and improve their health more effectively. Many of the Center’s clients suffer from a chronic disease such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, arthritis or memory loss. According to the CDC, about half of all adults in the U.S. —117 million people—have one or more chronic health conditions. One of four adults has two or more chronic health conditions. The Center’s programs are designed to complement physicians’ care plans, putting doctor recommendations into action. In January, the Center also will expand its programs to Sun City where services will be offered on the Banner Boswell Medical Center campus.
About Sun Health
A long-standing community partner championing healthy living, nonprofit Sun Health is a community-based health care organization providing pathways to population health through philanthropy, senior living, community programs and superior health care. Learn more at http://www.SunHealth.org or http://sunhealthwellbeing.org/
About Piper Trust
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust supports organizations that enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County, Arizona. Since it began awarding grants in 2000, Piper Trust has invested nearly $330 million in local nonprofits and programs. Piper Trust grantmaking areas are healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts and culture, education, and religious organizations. For more information, visit http://www.pipertrust.org.