Community Health

Community Health

Promoting health and wellness, while connecting with the community through interactive activities and exercise

Rectangular landscape photo of an outdoor exercise class during the daytime. Int he foreground, three members of the class, with their backs to the camera, are sitting in chairs and holding canned goods over their heads. Int he background, 5 Physical Therapy students are demonstrating the exercises holding water bottles over their heads. One other student stands to the side and is taking a picture with a smart phone.

Purpose

Reaching out to our community to promote physical and social wellness and encourage movement. We strive to accomplish these goals by engaging residents of Gainesville Housing Authority in group chair exercise classes, providing UF physical therapy students the opportunity to connect with the Gainesville community and establish rapport.

Our Vision

Our vision is to foster a community that is empowered to take charge of their health by engaging in a physically active lifestyle. To attain this vision, we are committed to being a well-informed and organized group of professional students who will continually develop and maintain collaborative relationships with our professional colleagues and the community to address the unmet health needs of Alachua County. We aspire to be a recognizable entity in our community with a leadership role in providing quality health service and education to the people we serve.

What We Do

  • Create and lead weekly exercise classes for residents served by the Gainesville Housing Authority
  • Adapt exercises to meet the needs of individuals of a wide range of ages and abilities
  • Incorporate music and socially engaging activities such as BINGO into exercise classes
  • Plan and design events such as food and supply drives designed to support the needs of the Gainesville Housing Authority community
  • Provide health and wellness related information
  • Promote our profession and demonstrate caring for all Alachua County residents
  • Educate community on benefits of physical therapy and the many fields we are involved in