Adult Services

The Need

• Two thirds of Los Angeles County residents are considered overweight or obese.
• Heart disease is the leading killer in the South Bay and five percent of residents are dealing with diabetes.
• In 2009, 20 percent of Californians were uninsured, including 23 percent of working adults.
• 2.7 million adults and children (28.9 percent) in Los Angeles experienced some period of uninsurance in 2009. Job-based coverage in Los Angeles County was only 43.3 percent.
• One in five Californians report the need for mental health services and approximately one in 25 reported symptoms associated with serious psychological distress.

Objectives

• Encourage beach cities residents to make health and fitness a part of their life by making it easy and affordable.
• Empower residents to make informed health care decisions through improved health literacy and increased access to health care and social services.
• Build and sustain personal and community resilience through disaster preparedness.

Programs & Services

• Center for Health & Fitness: A medically based fitness center that offers the most comprehensive list of health and fitness programming in the South Bay, including more than 150 yoga, Pilates and group exercise classes, cardio equipment, free weights, nutrition experts, massage, weight management programs and more.
• Nutrition: Part of the Center for Health & Fitness, BCHD employs a full-time registered dietitian to provide individual nutrition and diet consultations.
• Center for Health Connection: An information and referral source to help adults and families navigate the vast array of services available within the South Bay and greater Los Angeles area. Individuals who meet low-income guidelines can also receive subsidized basic health care services.
• Emergency Preparedness: BCHD makes low-cost emergency supply kits available to residents. and offers regular CPR and first aid classes.
• Medical Reserve Corps: An on-call group of licensed health care volunteers trained and poised to assist first responders during a large-scale local emergency or disaster.

 
Results in Previous Year

• Nearly 3,000 people make fitness a part of their life at the Center for Health and Fitness.
• The Center for Health Connection provided information and/or referrals to 5,900 uninsured or underinsured members of our community.
• Fifteen hundred uninsured or underinsured adults received low- or no-cost medical and mental health services.
• More than 80 medical and mental health professionals were on-call for disaster response thanks to the Medical Reserves Corps.