Canyon Ranch Institute Life Enhancement Program Demonstration Project Partner Criteria
Updated: January 2009
The Canyon Ranch Institute Life Enhancement Program (CRI LEP) partners with health organizations to transfer the best practices of Canyon Ranch to underserved communities. It is based on the Canyon Ranch Life Enhancement Program (LEP), which was launched in 1988 and has inspired thousands of participants to make an enduring personal connection to preventing disease and embracing a life of wellness. At the core of the CRI LEP philosophy is the idea that an integrative approach is essential to successfully prevent, diagnose, and address chronic disease. The ideal LEP experience awakens participants to the immediate and long-term benefits of making healthy choices one at a time.
CRI LEP partnerships are collaborative and multi-directional. The demonstration projects are designed to both improve the health and well-being of the program participants as well as inform the process of developing future CRI LEPs.
Becoming a CRI LEP Partner
Canyon Ranch Institute is not currently accepting proposals for new CRI LEP Demonstration Project sites. We will seek additional CRI LEP partners in 2010. At that time, we will issue a Request for Proposals inviting new CRI LEP partners. That Request for Proposals will be posted to our website in the Request for Proposals section.
We also encourage interested people and organizations to join our mailing list to receive updates and announcements from Canyon Ranch Institute, including upcoming events, new partnerships, and Requests for Proposals.
Criteria
Organizations that are considering partnering with Canyon Ranch Institute in 2010 to develop a CRI LEP Demonstration Project in their own communities should use this list of criteria to better understand the potential for such a partnership. There are four categories of criteria: 1. Partners and Facilities, 2. Personnel, 3. Communication, and 4. Evaluation.
Partners and Facilities
CRI LEP Demonstration Project partners:
- are established health organizations that have strong relationships with their communities;
- value a personal connection with their patients, and their patients view the health organization as a trusted resource;
- consider disease prevention and attaining optimal wellness to be core values;
- serve a population that has a high risk for chronic disease;
- have a facility that is suitable to “house” the program; (The CRI LEP requires space for classroom learning, food preparation, exercise and fitness activities, and relaxation/meditation. The size of the space(s), as well as appropriate furniture and equipment requirements, are determined by the number of participants in the CRI LEP group.);
- are committed to a dynamic and collaborative process with Canyon Ranch Institute and other collaborators, which may include individuals and organizations in the partners’ own communities, funders, and other CRI LEP Demonstration Project partners;
- participate in funding, planning, facilitating, and evaluating the CRI LEP;
- translate CRI LEP materials from English into languages relevant to the populations they serve;
- have a commitment to adapting the CRI LEP to the unique culture(s) of the communities they serve;
- have senior leadership who are committed to the success of the CRI LEP;
- share their experiences with other CRI LEP partners in order to continually improve the CRI LEP.
Personnel
CRI LEP Demonstration Project partners identify a person to be the Program Lead. The Program Lead serves as the primary contact with Canyon Ranch Institute and among all collaborators, can invest at least 20 hours a week to coordinate planning, program implementation, and evaluation activities (please see Evaluation section below), and is able to coordinate the activities of the core team as described below.
The Program Lead ensures that the health organization employs personnel who can:
- be the core team of the CRI LEP, serving as program presenters and facilitators (approximately 8 to 10 professional staff from the health organization);
- facilitate and lead lectures, fitness classes, and other activities as required by the program content;
- communicate their expertise in various health modalities, such as medicine, nutrition, exercise, behavioral health, and spirituality;
- facilitate group sessions and can provide one-on-one consultation;
- invest time as guests of the Life Enhancement Center at Canyon Ranch in Tucson as part of their training for facilitating the CRI LEP in their own health organizations;
- provide, interpret, and review health assessments of program participants;
- both culturally and linguistically understand and appreciate the population they serve;
- maintain follow-up contact with program participants.
Communication
CRI LEP Demonstration Project partners are willing and able to communicate with Canyon Ranch Institute and other collaborators, including the media and other communities, to plan, evaluate, evolve, and share outcomes of their CRI LEP Demonstration Projects. This communication will occur in-person and via phone and email.
Evaluation
CRI LEP Demonstration Project partners:
- are committed to regularly review and adapt the program to ensure successful outcomes for all participants;
- participate in the collection of data related to understanding and documenting program outcomes;
- support staff and participants to engage in qualitative interviews and focus groups;
- participate in design implementation and data dissemination to ensure that the evaluation is relevant to their work and patient population;
- enter into a data-sharing agreement with Canyon Ranch Institute to facilitate analysis of participant data, including clinical data.
