>>GERRY: IT'S TIME NOW FOR THE BUSINESS OF HEALTH...BROUGHT TO YOU BY HENDRICKS REGIONAL HEALTH.
A NEW YMCA IN INDIANAPOLIS IS THE FIRST IN THE COUNTRY TO HAVE A SPECIAL FOCUS ON VETERANS. THE PIKE TOWNSHIP FACILITY IS
THE ONLY "Y" IN THE U.S. WITH A VA MEDICAL CLINIC. BUSINESS OF HEALTH REPORTER KYLIE VELETA HAS MORE IN THE
BUSINESS OF HEALTH... KYLIE. >>KYLIE: THERE ARE ABOUT 120,000 VETERANS IN CENTRAL INDIANA, AND
MORE THAN HALF OF THEM HAVE SOME LONG-TERM HEALTH NEED RELATED TO THEIR MILITARY SERVICE. IN ADDITION TO SERVING VETERANS,
THE NEW ORTHOINDY FOUNDATION YMCA IS LOCATED IN THE MOST DIVERSE TOWNSHIP IN MARION COUNTY, WHICH CREATES UNIQUE
HEALTH NEEDS. JOINING ME NOW TO TELL US MORE IS YMCA OF GREATER INDIANAPOLIS PRESIDENT AND CEO ERIC
ELLSWORTH, AND ANNE GRAVES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INITIATIVES. THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU. >> FIRST OF ALL, LET'S START WITH YOU HOW WELL THE NEW MEDICAL CLINIC HELP VETERANS
HEALTH AND COULD IT BE A NATIONAL MODEL? >> WE SURE HOPE IT WILL BE. THERE HAVE BEEN 150 VA HOSPITALS
AROUND THE COUNTRY AND MOST OF THE CITIES THERE ARE VIBRANT YMCA SO WE ARE HOPING WHEN WE DO THIS WELL IT WILL BE REPLICATED
OVER AND OVER ACROSS THE COUNTRY IT HELPS VETERANS WITH THEIR TOTAL HEALTH AND SPIRIT MIND AND BODY SO THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF
PROGRAMS BEING OFFERED THROUGH THE VA, BUT ALSO PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE Y AS WELL. >> YOU MENTIONED THE PROJECT
IN THE WORKS FOR A LONG TIME 12 YEARS AND IN THAT TIME THE POPULATION HAS BEEN GROWING IN PIKE TOWNSHIP, BUT ALSO THE MOST
DIVERSE TOWNSHIP SO GIVE US A PICTURE OR A SNAPSHOT OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY THERE. >> THERE IS NO OTHER TOWNSHIP
LIKE PIKE TOWNSHIP IN TERMS OF DIVERSITY AND WHEN IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS MOVED TO THE AREA NORMALLY THEY PUT THEIR ROOTS
DOWN IN PIKE TOWNSHIP AND SO WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND ALSO THE PIKE TOWNSHIP IS 45 PERCENT AFRICAN-AMERICAN SO THAT ALSO
GIVES IT A RICH HISTORY AND THIS IS A LEGACY PROJECT OF THE PREVIOUS TWO YMCAS THE SENATE AVENUE Y AND THE FALL CREEK WHY.
THIS IS THE THIRD ITERATION OF THOSE YMCAS DURING TIMES OF SEGREGATION. THEY WERE AFRICAN-AMERICAN YMCAS
ONLY AND THIS IS AN INTEGRATED YMCA. >> THERE ARE SOME SOCIOECONOMIC CHALLENGES AND THE
NUMBER OF STUDENTS QUALIFYING FOR FREE LUNCH HAS INCREASED BY 90 PERCENT AND A QUARTER OF THE POPULATION RECEIVES FOOD STAMPS
SO HOW DOES THE Y ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS. >> THE ORTHO WHY MCA HAS A TEACHING KITCHEN SO WE OFFER
PROGRAMS THAT WILL HELP FAMILIES BE ABLE TO EAT HEALTHIER AND LEARN HOW TO PREPARE FOODS IN A WAY THEY LIKE AND WE WORK
OUTSIDE THE WALLS AS WELL SO IT WON'T JUST BE PROGRAMS HAPPENING IN A BUILDING BUT WE WILL GO INTO THE SCHOOLS AND PLACES IN
THE COMMUNITY TO OFFER PROGRAMS WHERE PEOPLE CAN HAVE EXCESSES. >> AND CHRONIC DISEASE BURDENS IN THAT AREA AS WELL.
>> IT'S THE SEASON FOR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS AND YOU MENTIONED THE Y AS MORE THAN A TREADMILL.
>> IT WILL FOCUS ON WELLNESS AND THE WHOLE PICTURE AND PERSON >> WE ARE GOING TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE SO OUR GOAL IS TO
HELP EVERYBODY REACH THEIR HEALTH AND WELLNESS GOALS AND EXERCISE MAY BE THE PLACE THAT PEOPLE START AND OTHER TIMES IT
MAY NOT BE THE BEST PLACE TO BEGIN SO WE HAVE CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION PROGRAMS, RETURN TO HEALTH PROGRAMS AND DRILLING
NUTRITION AND LIFESTYLE PROGRAMS WELLNESS ADVISORS ARE THEREFROM OPEN TO CLOSE TO HELP PEOPLE SUPPORT AND THE MOTIVATION THEY
NEED TO REACH GOALS. >> A FEW SECONDS LEFT, BUT YOU SAID THERE IS A LOT OF DEMAND IN THE AREA SO HOW IS MEMBERSHIP?
>> TERRIFIC AND WE HAVE STRONG MEMBERSHIP IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY PEOPLE RECOMMITTING THEMSELVES TO HEALTH BUT THIS IS
A PARTICULARLY GOOD YEAR BECAUSE OF THE FOUNDATION YMCA. WE ALREADY HAVE 1,000 NEW FAMILIES SIGNED UP.
THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN SERVED BY THE Y BEFORE AND THAT'S IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS SO THAT'S GONE REALLY WELL, BUT OVERALL WE ARE
SEEING PEOPLE RECOMMITTING THEMSELVES IN FITNESS TO THE 12