Youngstown YMCA and Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic among recipients

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Western Reserve Health Foundation today will award grants totalling more than $142,000 to local health and wellness initiatives, including the Youngstown YMCA’s diabetes prevention program and renovation of the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic.

The foundation approved $36,000 for the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program, a yearlong series of training and exercise sessions for adults at risk for diabetes. The program usually costs $429 per person, but the grant will enable the YMCA to reduce or waive the fee for qualifying low-income participants.

The Y hopes to have 100 low-income adults enrolled in the program in the upcoming year. Grant funds will be used to hire and train lifestyle coaches, buy supplies and promote the program to potential enrollees. The WRHF grant represents almost half of the program’s budget, said Phillip Dennison, chairman of the WRHF and principal at Packer Thomas.

A $30,000 grant for the Kennedy clinic is one of several that will support the renovation of its ‚ãprimary facility on Rush Boulevard on Youngstown’s South Side.

The project includes reworking interior space to improve traffic flows, relocating some work functions for better productivity and adding new furniture and flooring to create a better environment for clients and staff. Plans call for construction to start this month and conclude next year.

The new grant funds are in addition to $25,000 the foundation approved previously for the renovation work, needed, clinic officials said, because activity in the 48-year-old building has risen sharply in recent years with increases in addictions, particularly to heroin and other opioids.

Other grants approved by the foundation are:

Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., $22,991: Double the buying power of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds spent at local farmers markets.

Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio, $16,000: Expand adaptive basketball and softball programs to local adults.

D&E Counseling, $15,000: Develop a best practice model and business plan to integrate physical behavioral services for children, adolescents and young adults with chronic conditions.

American Heart Association, $10,000: CPR training in local public and parochial schools.

Antonine Sisters Adult Day Care, $7,500: Transporting participating adults to and from the North Jackson center.

Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries, $5,000: Screen preschool students for vision problems.