Courtney Austin currently serves as the Director of Care Coordination. She shares her "Why the Y" story below.
Education, connection, and impact are the three words I would choose to explain why I enjoy my work as the Director of Care Coordination. For those that are not aware, the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties offers a suite of evidence-based health intervention programs focused on maintaining and/or preventing a chronic illness: the YMCA Diabetes Prevent T2 Program, Y Weight Loss, Enhance Fitness, ACT! Actively Changing Together, and LIVESTRONG at the Y, just to name a few. In my position, I get to speak to a variety of individuals about their health goals, connect them to the YMCA, facilitate and coordinate programs, support Y staff, and view all the outcomes.
Education:
I am a nerd; I find great joy in learning and even more in educating others. When it is something about health or wellness, even better! Many individuals, myself included prior to my employment at the Y, are not even aware that these Chronic Disease programs exist. As Direct of Care Coordination, I have the amazing honor of educating our members, our communities, our healthcare partners, and our staff about these life-changing programs. On top of building awareness, I get the opportunity to facilitate many of our Chronic Disease Programs. Being able to witness firsthand the mental and physical growth a person has due to the education in the program is so humbling and rewarding.
Connection:
I am a people person at heart, and Care Coordination gives me multiple opportunities to connect on both a personal and professional level. I get to connect with individuals about their health journey and goals and see them through a Chronic Disease Program. Having the ability to get to know the participants over the span of three to 12 months is amazing; we really do become a little family and I love it. Then there is the connection with the Y staff. Our association truly is blessed to have so many amazing and talented individuals assisting our staff and community with reaching their goals. I also get the opportunity to connect with other YMCAs at a state and national level, as well as healthcare professions to help spread and word and impact of our programs. It is wonderful to be able to be around so many like-minded folks finding joy in improving their own and others’ lives.
Impact:
Most do not know this but data is my jam. Being a Care Coordinator I get the opportunity to see the impact in and out of the spreadsheets. Through program facilitation, I have had the honor of witnessing so many individuals reclaim their health and better their and their family's lives. Through program coordination, I have seen coaches blossom into amazing facilitators and witness the effect they have on others. Through our professional partnerships, I have contributed to many studies to help spread the impact of these programs at a national level. It gives me all the feelings being able to witness just how impactful our evidence-based chronic disease programs can be to various communities.
Over the past four, almost five years, I have enjoyed the opportunity to grow and create a home helping others at the YMCA. Being YMCAPKC’s Director of Care Coordination is challenging, amazing, and rewarding. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to educate, connect and impact our staff, our members, our partners, and our communities.