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YMCA and Health Team Australia (HTA) have announced a new partnership to provide access to allied health services for the prevention and management of chronic disease and injury.

The partnership addresses the growing need for health and wellness services in local communities, through specialised exercise physiology programs to be rolled out at YMCA facilities across Australia.

The partnership announcement coincides with the release of the Deliotte Access Economics report commissioned by Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) on the value of exercise physiologists in Australia.

The report states that almost 50% of Australians have some form of chronic disease, with as many as 13 million Australians are at risk of chronic disease, largely attributed to over 63% of the population being overweight or obese.

The study looks at cost savings per patient across a number of chronic disease categories. A person with type 2 diabetes receiving exercise intervention, as delivered by an accredited exercise physiologist, would save our healthcare system approx. $5,107 per annum, $1,977 for pre-diabetes and $2,239 for a mental health condition.

Introducing the program, YMCA Victoria Health and Wellness Manager Andrew Hamer explained how the YMCA recognises the importance of preventative health care and is working on closing the gap on chronic disease in the community.

Hamer stated “the program will provide significant measured cost savings to the Australian healthcare system, but more importantly, we are all about increasing the quality of life for each individual”, adding “we aim to become the largest employer of Exercise Physiologists in Australia, operating in over 30 YMCA facilities by the end of 2018.”

HTA is an allied health company built from a solid exercise physiology foundation that includes disciplines of dietetics, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and psychology.

Welcoming the partnership, HTA Director Peter Annis-Brown stated “we are excited to be partnering with the YMCA, they are a great organisation, and together we can really make a difference to people’s lives in the preventative health space.

Exercise physiology has been identified as an Allied Health discipline that can provide preventative healthcare to the wider community through the form of health promotion, education and effective exercise prescription.

Accredited exercise physiologists (AEPs) provide specialist support for clients with conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, mental health problems, cancer, arthritis and pulmonary disease etc.

The partnership was formally announced at YMCA’s Strategy Forum on Tuesday 24th November, with the YMCA, HTA and ESSA in attendance.

Click here for more information on Health Team Australia.

Click here for more information on the YMCA's health and wellness services.

Lower image shows partners at the announcement (from left): John Summers, Executive Officer, YMCA; Ismini Dandanis, Allied Health Practice Manager, YMCA; Andrew Hamer, Health & Wellness Development Manager, YMCA; Andrew Mahony, Director, HTA; Peter Annis-Brown, Director, HTA and Louise Czosnek, Industry Development Manager, ESSA.

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