Nebraska Methodist College Offers Grad Degree in Wellness & Health Promotion Mgmt

Nebraska Methodist College offers an MS in Wellness & Health Promotion Management WITH a concentration in Medical Fitness Management. Want to learn more? Check out their Virtual Information Session on Wed, Oct 21 at Noon CT

Click here for more information.

MFA Statement on COVID-19

As the new coronavirus spreads throughout the US, it is disrupting many medical association meetings and conferences. After much thought and discussion, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the MFA Regional Conferences in Elkhart, IN (April 15-17) and Jackson, TN (May 20-22) and we will not be planning a Northeast Regional Conference for June. With many of our MFA member facilities facing travel bans and increased pressure on their time as this health crisis is changing so rapidly, we felt it would be irresponsible to hold an event at this time for our members and sponsors. If you had registered for either Conference, we are currently processing full refunds this week. If you paid via credit card, we will refund the card. If you paid via check, we will issue you a refund check.

We will hold our online Regional Conference on Thursday, March 26, with four webinars that day. Everyone is welcome! We are also reaching out to our Regional Conference speakers to see if they would be interested in sharing their knowledge in a future MFA webinar. We currently have two more webinars scheduled for March 18 and 25. Stay tuned to our website and email for a webinar update. As your Medical Fitness Association, we are doing everything we can to offer you multiple opportunities for your continuing education!

At this time, our Annual Conference, to be held in Baltimore, MD on Nov 3-5, is still on. We will continue to diligently monitor this situation through the CDC. If anything changes, we will let you know immediately. In light of this unknown, we are pleased to offer a 100% risk-free cancellation policy for our 2020 Annual Conference. If the Annual Conference needs to be cancelled, you will receive a 100% refund of your registration fee. We will endeavor to make that decision by October 2nd. At this point, we have a robust agenda and look forward to some great networking!

While member facilities have increased their outreach to their own members, we encourage you to work with your facility’s or hospital’s marketing/public relations department. This is an opportunity to support your local community by reassuring them on how you are handling the coronavirus and to support your members who are putting their memberships on hold by providing them with ideas for exercising at home. It’s also an opportunity to raise awareness in your community as a medical fitness thought leader. Here are a couple examples:

Article on a fitness facility in CT: CLICK HERE

ACE’s article on “Top 25 At-Home Exercises”: CLICK HERE

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in our COVID-19 Response Survey. There is still time to participate in the survey. We will be sending out the preliminary results today. The full report will be sent out by this Friday, 3/20. One of the many benefits of being a Medical Fitness Association member is that you have the opportunity to learn what other medical fitness facilities are doing without handling the legwork yourself!

Brain Health Matters Podcast – Enhancing Brain Capacity

Check out the latest podcast from MFA Strategic Partner, the Academy for Brain Health and Performance.

This month’s podcast features Dr. Evian Gordon, as he shares a framework of how the brain works as a system, as well as a practical step in making your brain’s capacity more effective, no matter your age.

Dr. Evian Gordon is an integrative neuroscientist and medical doctor as well as the Founder, Executive Chairman and Chief Medical Officer of Total Brain. 

Beacon Health

Fully Integrated: Beacon Health and Fitness

Check out the February 2020 edition of Club Solutions Magazine for the cover article about MFA member Beacon Health & Fitness. According to the article, “Medical fitness is profoundly changing the relationship between fitness and healthcare.” Read about how Alan Loyd, FACHE, FMFA, has transformed Beacon Health System’s fitness facilities from a loss leader to a profitable, self-sustaining operation.

Note: Alan Loyd was the 2019 recipient of the Hank Boerner Pioneer Award…now you can see why!

CLICK HERE to read the article.

 

Brain Health Matters Podcast – Sleep Matters

Check out the latest podcast from the Academy for Brain Health and Performance. This month’s podcast features Dr. Elizabeth Frates sharing an overview of the field of lifestyle medicine and how key factors, like nutrition and physical activity, can have an impact on brain health.

Elizabeth Frates, MD is a trained physiatrist, health and wellness coach, and Director of Medical Student Education at the Institute for Lifestyle Medicine.

What You Gain with Medical Fitness Credentials

One of the newest programs developed by Nebraska Methodist College (NMC) is a Master of Science in Wellness and Health Promotion Management (WHPM) with a concentration in Medical Fitness Management. This is the first course of its kind in the country. The curriculum was built with input from practitioners in the field, including the Medical Fitness Association (MFA). NMC is one of the four initial charter student chapters of the MFA.

Check out this blog, on the Nebraska Methodist College website, by MFA President & CEO, Bob Boone!

Power Wellness Webinar: Improving Population Health Through Medically Integrated Fitness

MFA Industry Partner, Power Wellness, is offering a webinar entitled “Improving Population Health Through Medically Integrated Fitness” on Wednesday, July 10 at 12pm CST.

Click here to register today.

The key takeaways for this webinar will be:
What it means for a fitness center to be medically integrated;
What a Medical Advisory Committee is and why they are important;
Why it is important to link medicine with fitness and how you can measure success; and
Real life stories about medically integrated fitness centers and physicians’ impact in their community.

Presenters will include:
Vic Arellano – VP of Business Development, Power Wellness
Dr. Brian Babka – Northwestern Medicine
Joe Berg – Center Director, Loyola Center for Fitness
Dr. Aaron Michelfelder – Loyola University Medical Center
Joe Molter – Center Director, Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Health and Fitness Center
Chris Sutton – Medical Integration Manager, Power Wellness

Lifestyle Medicine for the Brain: An Introduction to Brain Health, Fitness, and Performance

Academy for Brain Health and Performance (ABHP) and Medical Fitness Association (MFA) is pleased to announce their collaboration in leading the brain health movement. ABHP is offering an exclusive introduction course, Lifestyle Medicine for the Brain, to all MFA members interested in adding brain health expertise to their fitness and wellness practice.

Every day the work fitness and wellness professionals perform with their clients not only helps to improve their clients’ physical health, but also could simultaneously enhance their brain health and optimize their performance. The Lifestyle Medicine for the Brain course will provide the knowledge, skills and tools that professionals need to leverage the incredible abilities of the brain into powerful life, health and wellness behavior change regimens for their clients.

NEW! Continuing Education Credits
We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to provide you with an extended opportunity to add to your professional career. Medical Fitness Association (MFA) and American College of Sports Medicine (ASCM) just confirmed that you can receive 3 continuing education credit hours for completing the introduction course, Lifestyle Medicine for the Brain (info below) for an extra fee of $75.

The first cohorts of the Lifestyle Medicine for the Brain course students have already had an impactful experience.

“This course provided a good blend of theory and application in aiding me to see how I can better help my clients achieve a higher level of brain performance, as a way of achieving a higher level of physical, emotional, and cognitive performance as sport performers.” – Don R, Fitness Coach, CO

Registration is now open for the July 10th course!
The Lifestyle Medicine for the Brain introduction online certificate course can be completed over 3 self-paced hours (six half-hour modules). Your next opportunity to take this introductory course is July 10. Click here to learn more about registering for the course or the Academy for Brain Health and Performance.

For any questions about the Academy for Brain Health & Performance courses email info@brainhealthandperformance.com, or visit www.brainhealthandperformance.com .

Click here to learn more about the course and how to pre-register.

For any questions about the Academy for Brain Health and Performance courses email: info@brainhealthandperformance.com, or click here to visit the website.

Partnership Links MFA and Nebraska Methodist College Wellness Program

 

A unique partnership with the Medical Fitness Association will enable Nebraska Methodist College students who complete the Medical Fitness Management concentration of the Wellness & Health Promotion Management master’s degree program to sit for the Association’s Certified Fitness Facility Director (CFFD) exam.

“This is a tremendous benefit the Association is making available to the students in our program,” says Wellness & Health Promotion Management (WHPM) Program Director Jeannie Hannan, PhD. “No other graduate program in the nation addresses the knowledge and skills necessary to become eligible for this certification exam.”

Headquartered in Pinehurst, N.C., the Medical Fitness Association is a non-profit, professional membership organization whose mission is to foster opportunities for the development and operational success of medically integrated fitness centers. The Association provides industry standards, educational programs, facility and individual certification programs, benchmarks, outcome measurements, professional development, and networking opportunities for the medical fitness industry.

Medical fitness is an individualized health risk management model designed to maximize a person’s health and quality of life, says Medical Fitness Association President and CEO Robert D. Boone, MBA, MHA, FACHE, FMFA. “We call it population health, one person at a time,” Boone says. “Medical fitness creates personal accountability and programs tailored to individual needs.”

Boone says the Association has collaborated with Hannan to create a curriculum concentration within the WHPM program that combines insight into a preventative care business with an understanding of the role fitness centers play in the continuum of care. “Nebraska Methodist College is the only university I know of addressing this specific market niche,” he says. “We applaud them for that.”

Normally, to be eligible to sit for the CFFD exam, candidates must have a minimum of three years of experience in a management/leadership position, with a bachelor’s degree or higher in a fitness- or business-related field, or five years of experience in a management/leadership position with a minimum of an associate’s degree. However, Boone says the experience requirement will be waived for those who complete the Nebraska Methodist College WHPM Medical Fitness Management concentration.

The proctored CFFD exam for WHPM students will be given at Nebraska Methodist College, beginning with the fall 2019 semester, Hannan says. Boone says that upon successful completion of the CFFD exam, a person becomes eligible for the Association’s Certified Medical Fitness Facility Director (CMFFD) exam. The Medical Fitness Facility Director certification builds on the base knowledge tested in the CFFD exam, and covers nine specific content areas relevant to the operation of medically integrated fitness facilities.

“Students who take this concentration at Nebraska Methodist College are already interested in the medical fitness model,” Boone says. “When they complete their studies, they will have core knowledge that normally takes three to seven years to obtain. Obtaining their certification will make them more desirable candidates for administrative positions at medical fitness facilities.”

Boone says the partnership with Nebraska Methodist College will serve to highlight the Association’s work, and heighten its profile in the academic world.

“We think it will also provide a new generation of regional and national leaders for our Association,” he says. “Our hope is that Nebraska Methodist College students will become involved in our student chapters, which will broaden networking opportunities for them and for our Association.”

Established in 1891, Nebraska Methodist College is an affiliate of Methodist Health System and is fully accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The WHPM master’s program has been a part of the college’s curriculum for 20 years. It was the first graduate program at the college, and the first to be offered completely online.

For more information contact NMC at 402-354-7200 or admissions@methodistcollege.edu.

Active Wellness Announces New Chief Operations Officer

Active Wellness is thrilled to announce that Michele Wong has been promoted and appointed to Chief Operating Officer.