YMCA Maui Awarded Grant to Support Healthy Lifestyles

Kaiser Permanente has awarded $82,700 in community benefit grants to Age-Friendly Cities and YMCA Maui for their programs promoting healthy lifestyles and community engagement.

YMCA Maui is the recipient of a $25,000 grant to implement the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program, an evidence-based health intervention program approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

The program encourages behavioral and lifestyle changes to help patients maintain healthy, active lifestyles.

The year-long program will be completed by three cohorts of at least 15 participants on Maui with the goal of reducing individual body weight by 5.5 percent.

(Left to right): Christy Nishita, Ph.D., Consultant, Implementation Committee, Age-Friendly Honolulu; Terry Muldoon, Executive Director, National Facilities Services – KP Hawaii Region; Georgette Deemer, Deputy Managing Director, City & County of Honolulu; and Frank Streed, Co-Chair, Implementation Committee, Age-Friendly Honolulu.

Age-Friendly Cities (via fiscal agent Adult Friends for Youth) received $57,700 for its Kind2Kupuna program.

The funds will be used for the initiative to develop age-friendly businesses that provide tools and resources to support the needs of kupuna in the community.

The program will work with 10 pilot businesses in a variety of sectors to adopt age-friendly initiatives that support the physical and cognitive changes associated with aging.

The grant will also fund a public awareness campaign to increase engagement between businesses and kupuna.

“We’re proud to support healthy and active lifestyles for people of all ages,” said Dave Underriner, president Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, Hawaiʻi Region “We believe that when organizations work together to provide access to important health resources, the entire community benefits.”