At the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA, we believe we create a stronger community when we work together. Our partnerships include those with local schools and government, healthcare facilities, other nonprofits and local businesses helping us deliver programs and services that help our community thrive.

Our partnerships include:

Atlantic Health System

We partner with Atlantic Health System, on a number of programs benefiting the community:

  • Each month, Atlantic Health Community Outreach visits our Y to offer health information and screenings.
  • In partnership with the Overlook Family Medicine Residency Program, family practice interns visit us monthly to talk to members about their health concerns. Look for upcoming dates for MD on Call on our Events Calendar. 
  • We are working with Overlook Family Practice on Chronic Disease programming. We have established electronic referrals for programs such as  YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, Diabetes Self-Management, Blood Pressure Self-Management, LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA and Enhance Fitness for arthritis.
  • We serve on the Carol G. Simon Oncology Advisory board

Here2Help Mental Health Coalition

Here2Help is a community-based coalition with a mission of helping improve understanding of mental health issues through increased awareness and education.

The coalition is comprised of passionate volunteers and professional organizations that represent different aspects of mental health including substance abuse, crisis intervention, grief counseling, elder care, domestic violence, suicide prevention and more. Workshops, seminars and mental health first aid training are offered throughout the year and resources are always available through the Here2Health website at https://www.here2helpnj.org.

North Jersey Health Collaborative

The Fanwood-Scotch Plains Y participates in the  North Jersey Health Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) organization comprised of a diverse group of partners representing health care, public health, social services and other community organizations. The collaborative works on community needs assessment and health improvement planning to identify the most pressing health issues and facilitate the development of collaborative action plans to address them.

Prescribe the Y

Health Management is a critical part of our mission at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA and we aim to help people prevent or manage a diagnosis such as pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypertension, weight management, cancer support, arthritis and more. We partner with other YMCAs in our area and healthcare providers to reach people in need of care in our community. Visit our Health Management section to learn more about these programs.

Scotch Plains Mayor’s Wellness Campaign

The FSPY participates in the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign to help promote health in the following areas: healthy living, youth, seniors, employees and communities. Our annual 5K is one of the events listed for the Mayor’s Medal to recognize those who ran or walked in at least three of the four annual 5k races in Scotch Plains. We also work with the campaign to inform the community of our programs and services, specifically in the areas of chronic disease prevention and mental health.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools

To give children the tools needed to thrive, we partner with local schools to offer a number of programs. Our School Age Child Care program provides before and after care to students in Scotch Plains-Fanwood public elementary and middle schools. During the summer, several of our camps are based at local schools. We also partner with the public schools in Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Clark to offer sports programs, including our successful Middle School Track program. View our current brochure to learn more about these programs.

Special Needs Programming

At the Y we believe that all people of all abilities should have the opportunity to be healthy, confident, connected and secure. We partner with local groups to offer recreational and social activities for young adults and adults with special needs. View our current brochure to learn more about our special needs programs.

Square Foot Gardening

The Fanwood-Scotch Plains Y is working with the Square Foot gardening initiative in conjunction with master gardeners from Rutgers University, the Garden Club of New Jersey and the Audubon Society. We received a grant for the summer of 2019 from “Plant a Seed, Union County Green.” Children in our summer camp had lessons with our master gardeners each week and our summer Cook! Camp used produce from the garden in a farm-to-table style format.

Stewards of Children

YMCAs in New Jersey have a vision of a world free of child sexual abuse. A world in which all children are loved, protected, nurtured and able to grow up healthy. Darkness to Light, a nationally recognized authority on the issue of child sexual abuse prevention and creator of the award winning Stewards of Children curriculum has partnered with the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance to inform, educate and mobilize advocates for children.

Stewards of Children is the only evidence-based training available nationally that is proven to increase knowledge and change child protective behavior. It is designed to educate adults on how to recognize, prevent and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse.

The Y is working with community partners including local civic and volunteer groups, non-profits, faith-based groups, businesses, school districts and local government to keep children safe. The goal is to reach what research calls the critical point for creating lasting change by training 5% of the adults in our community.

Summit Medical Group

We work with the Summit Medical Group Foundation to offer screenings and support services/chronic disease programming within our community and receive referrals for our Chronic Disease Prevention Programs.