Whole Health

At Vet Camp, Whole Health is teaching Veterans how to lean on each other while walking to the beat of their own drum.

The OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA in Indianapolis, IN, isn’t your ordinary “Y.” Sure, it offers many of the typical amenities: swimming lessons, recreational sports, and seasonal camps. But also housed in the 56,000-square-foot facility is a dedicated space where local Veterans are taking steps toward healing, getting fit, and living their best lives.

Thanks to a first-of-its-kind partnership between VA and the YMCA, the OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA furnishes a fully staffed Veterans’ Integrated Pain (VIP) clinic. There, Veterans are supported by a multidisciplinary team that specializes in physical and recreation therapy, health coaching, and specialized medicine such as acupuncture — according to Whole Health Program Manager Keri Maloney.

“It’s way beyond … anything we ever thought it was going to be,” said Jeff Chapman, reflecting on how the partnership has grown in ways he and Maloney never imagined possible. As Association Director of Veterans and Military Services at the OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA, Chapman has seen the VIP clinic grow from a wishful idea to a fully realized hub that serves as many as 1,500 Veterans a month.

A movement of moving

The VIP clinic’s approach is deeply rooted in Whole Health, which puts the patient — not their medical conditions — at the center of health care decisions. The goal isn’t to stop at temporary, surface-level treatment, but rather to go beyond and give Veterans tools that relieve pain in the short-term while helping them become more active in the long-term. That’s why the staff, which includes four Whole Health coaches, prioritizes both pain management and lifestyle medicine.

Veterans at the OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA participate in a variety of mind-body fitness activities centered around movement. Visit on any given day, and you may see them in a yoga pose or learning a new tai chi form. You may come across the Veterans walking, participating in a group exercise, meditating, or partaking in the MOVE! program, which assists with weight management. It’s all part of a holistic regimen geared toward teaching Veterans to get past their illnesses and injuries so they can build happier, healthier lives.

Better together

For Chapman, one thing in particular makes the OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA such a special place: community. “Being a Veteran myself, I do spend some time out there,” he said. “Any time I ever talk to the Veterans, one of the things they love about the ‘Y’ is obviously the community, the groups of people that come in … it’s welcoming, it’s inviting.”

Maloney, who is also a Veteran, agrees. “I think that’s part of the beauty of being in the same building together … ,” she said of the VA-YMCA partnership. “ … that we run into each other in person. We know each other better, we see each other more, and it … builds trust and … gives us a chance to try new ideas. It’s a springboard to so many different things.”

One of those things is Vet Camp, an annual program sponsored by Veteran Health Indiana and the OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA. Hosted at the Flat Rock River YMCA Camp, a 240-acre space, the event unites an average of 50 to 60 Veterans for a therapeutic weekend of fellowship and outdoor festivities. Along with each other’s company, campers enjoy range sports, campfire cooking, tai chi, yoga, ziplining, and more while they focus on relaxing and rehabilitating. The program has been instrumental in helping Veterans overcome sleeplessness, suicidal ideation, and more.

The VA-YMCA partnership in Indianapolis is just one example of how Whole Health is making a positive impact on Veteran lives. For more stories, visit va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/features.