With a large focus on the overall well-being of the community, the pillar of health and wellness stretches across many aspects of the city. But when the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany opened in 2014, it thoroughly expanded the ongoing initiatives of that mission.
“A healthy community is a vibrant community that promotes economic development, and that has been the case in New Albany,” says Phil Heit, executive director of Healthy New Albany. “Most residents in New Albany have health as a priority in their daily lives.”
Photo courtesy of the New Albany Farmers Market
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Whether it’s the promotion of healthful eating through locally grown produce at the New Albany Farmers Market or the Community Garden, the New Albany Walking Classic, or the number of integrative wellness programs including Urban Zen, chair yoga and the weekly walking club; Healthy New Albany Inc. seeks to provide the most efficient and beneficial resources to the community.
Heit notes that staff at the Heit Center continues to grow to accommodate the needs of the community as well as availability of programming. Programming is open to everyone in the community and membership at the Heit Center is not needed for participation.
“The Heit Center has become a focus on wellness through its many offerings from fitness, lectures, cooking classes and so much more,” Heit says.
“We look at health broadly,” adds Kristina Isenhour, program manager for Healthy New Albany. “It’s all about prevention and moving health upstream; getting people healthy and keep people healthy.”
The programs offered reflect all aspects of health from physical and mental to social and financial. It is the belief of the Heit Center that whole-person health is critical and the center’s initiatives try and cover aspects for people of all ages, like its recent addition of Studio 55+ that offers innovative and fun activities for the older adult population.
“Achieving and maintaining a high level of well-being as an individual, family and community is a priority in all communities,” Heit says. “But New Albany, in my opinion, does it better than anyone.”
A strong and collaborative partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the Heit Center and OSU are working to open a new, state-of-the-art ambulatory care facility in 2021.
“When we are healthy, we are at our best physically, mentally and socially,” Isenhour says. “The fact that health is a priority in this community means a lot. The people are more receptive to what we are doing and there is value.”
Rocco Falleti is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com
