Canyon Ranch Institute (CRI) and Cleveland Clinic are developing a Canyon Ranch Institute Life Enhancement Program (CRI LEP) in Cleveland. The CRI LEP is a dynamic program that aims to transfer the best practices of Canyon Ranch to underserved communities to prevent, diagnose, and address chronic diseases through an integrative health model.
Cleveland Clinic, a multispecialty academic medical center, is the third organization we have partnered with to develop a CRI LEP Demonstration Project. Cleveland is one of the economically poorest cities in the United States, with 26 percent of Cleveland residents living below the federal poverty level. People living in Cleveland also have higher rates of chronic disease than the national average. Factors that contribute to this greater burden of disease include limited access to healthcare services and lack of health insurance.
In collaboration with two of Cleveland Clinic’s Departments – Public Health and Research as well as Community Outreach – we are designing the CRI LEP in Cleveland Demonstration Project curriculum and experiences to advance health literacy and improve nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and life balance through an integrative health model. Together, CRI and Cleveland Clinic will evaluate the program’s effectiveness in part by measuring any changes in these areas.
Each CRI LEP is customized based on the cultural, geographic, and health needs of a specific community, and the CRI LEP in Cleveland will be the first CRI LEP to focus on young adults. Young people who live in the Fairfax and Hough neighborhoods of Cleveland will be invited to participate in the CRI LEP at no cost. Many residents of the Fairfax and Hough neighborhoods live below the federal poverty level (33 percent in Fairfax, 40 percent in Hough). In addition, both neighborhoods have higher age-adjusted mortality rates for all causes of disease, heart disease, and cancer.
Core Team Training
The CRI LEP in Cleveland core team members began the first part of their training in Tucson, AZ, by attending the Canyon Ranch Life Enhancement Program in the spring of 2010. The core team includes physicians, nurses, exercise professionals, nutritionists, behavioral health professionals, and spirituality professionals. During their stay, they participated in interactive classes that emphasized taking small steps for behavior change, healthy eating, portion size awareness, sleeping well for health, empowerment to set personal health goals, and the importance of social support in achieving goals.
In collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, CRI Health Literacy and Research Director Andrew Pleasant, Ph.D., Partnerships and Policies Director Christine L. Sardo, M.P.H., R.D., and CRI LEP Program Manager Sereti Venzin, M.P.H., facilitated a CRI LEP three-day training in Cleveland, OH, for core team members. During their visit, the CRI team presented an in-depth overview of the program and of principles of health literacy.
During the last day of training, the CRI and CRI LEP in Cleveland core team members participated in a shopping excursion to two local grocery stores, facilitated by the CRI LEP core team nutritionist. The training concluded with CRI staff and the CRI LEP in Cleveland core team collaboratively facilitating a community program preview for young adults between the ages of 18 and 28 from the Fairfax and Hough neighborhoods of Cleveland. During the community program preview, the audience heard condensed versions of various CRI LEP sessions and offered feedback in a wrap-up focus group. The CRI LEP in Cleveland core team also participated in a focus group for the purpose of learning more about their perspectives on the training experience.
Recruitment is underway for the first CRI LEP in Cleveland class, which will begin in late August 2010. Participants are being recruited from the local Job Corps organization, whose facilities will be the site of the program launch.
What’s Happening Today
In early 2010, we started collaborating with the CRI LEP in Cleveland core team. Together, we are tailoring the CRI LEP specifically to the health and wellness needs and assets of the Fairfax and Hough neighborhoods, and to young people who live in the two neighborhoods.
Partnership Resources:
- Click here to learn more about the CRI-Cleveland Clinic partnership.
- Click here to visit the Cleveland Clinic website.
- Click here to learn more about the CRI LEP.
2009
- Click here to read about the CRI LEP in Cleveland planning meeting and the team visit to the CRI LEP at Urban Health Plan in the South Bronx, NY.
