St. Mary Medical Center wrapped up its annual youth-focused summer program, Time for Teens – a collection of three-day mini-camps that encourage local teens to engage in physical fitness, adopt nutritious eating habits and get on, or maintain, the path to lifelong health.
Time for Teens helps young adults ages 13 to 18 explore ways to a healthier life, and dozens of teens attended camps at sites throughout Bucks County. During the camps, teens embarked on adventurous activities and learned how to kayak, play golf and tennis, or use gym and fitness equipment. After participating in physically engaging activities, registered dietitians presented live cooking demonstrations to show teens how to prepare health-conscious, yet tasty meals.
“During the summer, teenagers don’t have the structure of a typical school day that usually helps them stay on track, both physically and mentally,” said Joann Dorr, manager of community health and wellbeing at Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic’s St. Mary Medical Center. “Time for Teens provides this structure and encourages them to instill healthy fitness and eating habits into their everyday lives, year-round.”
Time for Teens is part of St. Mary’s Families Living Well initiative, which aims to empower Bucks County children and families by providing them with the tools to make choices that lead to better, healthier lifestyles. Programs within the Families Living Well initiative encourage eating healthfully, getting more active and positive mental wellbeing.
Families Living Well outreach programs address the growing obesity epidemic in children and their increased risk for chronic diseases. By teaching the importance of eating healthier and moving more at an early age, this program aims to reduce the incidence of diabetes, heart disease, asthma and certain types of cancer in the community.
St. Mary partners with school districts, local farm programs and other area recreational sites to bring these programs to families throughout Bucks County. Guided by program teachers who are certified professionals in nutrition, counseling and fitness, this program has shown proven success – in Bucks County and nationwide – in empowering families to eat healthy, move more and feel good about themselves.
To learn more about available community health resources and other Families Living Well programs, visit stmaryhealthcare.org/flw or call 215-710-4590.
