By: Jen Champion
The Elkton Education Community Center (ECEC) and Vista Wellness Center are collaborating to address the healthcare needs of Elkton and surrounding communities.
Introducing holistic health services, particularly yoga, is a component of their ECEC Rural Health Care Initiative.
The Wellness Initiative focuses on preventative programs and partnerships to enhance accessibility to health and wellness services. The initiative aims to improve the overall quality of life. It is open to all community members, with a particular emphasis on seniors, individuals with chronic illnesses, and those with limited incomes.
Jen Champion, a yoga instructor with Vista Wellness Center, is on the ECEC campus every Wednesday, offering floor and chair classes. Yoga and holistic approaches to health enhance an interconnectedness of physical, mental, and emotional aspects and help to alleviate symptoms and promote a healthier lifestyle.
At the heart of ECEC’s success lie its volunteers. The commitment of volunteers is pivotal in implementing and sustaining programs and their 30-acre campus.
Their Youth Employment Project hires local high school students to work as tour guides in the Butterfly Pavilion and Fort Umpqua, help maintain the gardens, and staff the Outpost Café and Produce Stand. AmeriCorps volunteers play a part in ECEC as well. Currently, Ruby Ackerman, an AmeriCorps Member, serves as a Wellness Advocate and plays a significant role in bringing yoga to ECEC.
ECEC is bridging the healthcare gap in rural areas. Within their Rural Health Care Initiative, they provide yoga classes and a range of holistic services, nurturing the vitality and wellness of residents and the vibrant communities they create.
Interested in providing services for the initiative? Contact Ruby Ackerman
Connect with Jen and Vista Wellness Center
Map of Oregon in segments of areas with unmet healthcare needs.
