DETROIT – University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics has teamed up with Health Alliance Plan (HAP) to host a Community Health Day on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Community Health Day will take place during the Detroit Mercy Titans' men's basketball game against Western Kentucky.
Community Health Day will offer residents an opportunity to learn how physical exercise can help shape the overall health, mood and behavior of students and their families. Community partners like Playworks, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Detroit will show attendees how to make physical exercise fun.
“It is HAP’s goal to make Detroit a healthier place, one person at a time,” said Tom Spring, director of wellness and community outreach for HAP. “Besides watching a world-class game this is a great time for folks to learn how to make physical activity fun for the whole family.”
More than 18 percent of Michigan's adolescents are overweight, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HAP events like Community Health Day and its Ready, Set, Cook! are rooted in the 5-2-1-0 guideline that teaches children how to make healthier lifestyle choices.
Additional information will also be available on a variety of health-related issues, including diabetes, breast cancer awareness, immunizations, hypertension and oral health. To aid this effort, Covenant Community Care will be onsite to provide free screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose and oral health.
Attendees will also walk away with free HAP goodies and can enter into a drawing to win Detroit Pistons basketball tickets.
“Detroit Mercy is a Detroit institution with ample ties and resources for the community,” said Robert C. Vowels Jr. director of athletics, University of Detroit Mercy. “It’s been a pleasure to partner with HAP to amplify our efforts and to offer our Titan fans a different game day experience.”
University of Detroit Mercy, a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, exists to provide excellent student-centered undergraduate and graduate education in an urban context. A Detroit Mercy education seeks to integrate the intellectual, spiritual, ethical and social development of its students. University of Detroit Mercy is recognized as a premier private university in the Great Lakes region, distinguished by graduates who lead and serve in their communities.
About Health Alliance Plan
Health Alliance Plan (HAP) is a Michigan-based, nonprofit health plan that provides health coverage to more than 675,000 members and companies of all sizes. For more than 50 years, HAP has partnered with leading doctors and hospitals, employers and community organizations to enhance the health and well-being of the lives we touch. HAP offers a product portfolio with six distinct product lines: Group Insured Commercial, Individual, Medicare, Medicaid, Self-Funded and Network Leasing. HAP excels in delivering award-winning preventive services, disease management and wellness programs, and personalized customer service. For more information, visit hap.org.
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Contacts:
Ebony Dooley
Health Alliance Plan
(248) 443-7847
edooley@hap.org
Jeremiah Hergott
University of Detroit Mercy
(313) 575-1875 mobile
hergotjw@udmercy.edu