Faculty and Students Celebrate Year of Community Health Education
From left: Andrea Mantione, director, Leahy Community Health and Family Center; Bryon Applequest, assistant professor, exercise science and sport; Richie Artuso, CRUNCH Fitness; Mayra Monge (winner of the membership); Andrew Venezia, assistant professor, exercise science and sport; Brad Reiss, CRUNCH Fitness)The Leahy Community Health and Family Center and PCPS exercise science students, mentored by faculty, celebrate a year of community health education by teaming with CRUNCH Fitness in the Scranton Steamtown Mall to award a 3-month full membership to the community member who achieved her fitness goals.
This program offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate exercise science students to become engaged in a service helping an underserved and multicultural population from the local community. It provides students with highly relevant and real-world experience that will prepare them for careers in exercise science, public health and future graduate pursuits. Moreover, the program provides an excellent opportunity for one-on-one interaction with individuals from Scranton's underserved population. With many of the exercise science and community health students planning to enter DPT, OT, Nursing, Speech Pathology programs post-graduation, appropriate and professional personal interaction with clients of diverse backgrounds will be a useful skill to develop. The success of the program is evaluated based on attendance, participant and student feedback, fitness test and assessment results.
The program is funded by a 2018 grant from CVS Health Foundation.
