Martin Judd, Regional President and CEO, Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center (PSMEMC), was recognized with the “Community Collaboration Award” by McCormick Tribune YMCA at “An Evening in the Mansion” fundraiser on September 12 at the Stan Mansion in Chicago.

He was honored for PSMEMC’s partnership with McCormick Tribune YMCA in a new program launched in August. The goal of the program is to promote behavior change to prevent and reduce obesity and diabetes in our community. A Community Health Needs Assessment in 2012 conducted by PSMEMC showed that our community had an urgent need to reverse a growing trend – with 60 percent of our neighbors reporting health problems directly linked to obesity and diabetes.

Based on the data, PSMEMC formed an Obesity-Diabetes subgroup committee – and developed a three-year action plan. The partnership with the McCormick Tribune YMCA was a key element of that multi-faceted plan. The objective called for identifying five PSMEMC physicians who would distribute packets of information, along with a seven-day pass to the YMCA, so patients could take advantage of health, fitness and nutrition programming. Carrie Slezak, MS, RD, LDN, Clinical Nutrition Manager, Food and Nutrition Services and Jaime Delgado, Executive Director for the Diabetes Empowerment Center, are committee co-chairs. Alicia Milan-Flanigan, MD, board-certified in family medicine, is serving as champion of this project. Visit presencehealth.org to learn more.

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In the photo: Martin Judd (left) receives the “Community Collaboration Award” from Steven Vick, Executive Director, McCormick Tribune YMCA.