Just in time for New Year’s resolutions, Cleveland Clinic, Curves, the City of Cleveland and other partners announced today that they will join forces and combine their resources to launch go!FIT Greater Cleveland, a free, comprehensive public health campaign for Cuyahoga County adult residents. The campaign is designed to improve the overall health and well-being of the county by breaking down barriers and increasing access to fitness and weight management facilities in the area.
Each participant in the go!FIT Greater Cleveland program will receive:
- A free three-month membership to Curves in Cuyahoga County
- Free access to the Curves weight management and nutrition program
- Discount coupons on healthy foods from Dave’s Markets
- Free access to a variety of health and nutrition classes throughout the campaign
Registration begins today at the go!FIT Greater Cleveland web site,
www.gofitcleveland.com, and continues through Jan. 31, with membership at the participating locations starting Jan. 1.
The go!FIT Greater Cleveland program is open to Cuyahoga County adult residents who are not currently members of a fitness facility, have not been members of a facility in the last 90 days and do not otherwise have free access to a fitness facility available to them through another program/employer. Participants will be required to have a weekly assessment of their progress. The campaign also includes fitness and nutrition assessments for participants. At the end of the program, prizes will be awarded based on program participation and commitment.
“Each partner involved in this campaign is committed to improving the health and well-being of Cuyahoga County,” said Dr. Delos M. “Toby” Cosgrove, Cleveland Clinic President and CEO. “By working together to break down the barriers to fitness, nutrition and healthy foods, we hope to initiate a wellness movement that creates a healthier, more productive region and begins to reverse the devastating effects of preventable chronic diseases, improving the quality of life for everyone.”
In 2007, Cleveland Clinic, together with the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio, launched SmokeFree Greater Cleveland, a program designed to reduce the rate of smoking in our region, one of the most deadly causes of preventable diseases. It is estimated that program saved more than 15,000 life years and helped more than 3,000 residents quit smoking.
Similarly, go!FIT Greater Cleveland was created with partners equally committed to the eradication of preventable disease. During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States, and Ohio has the second highest health care costs related to obesity in the country. It is estimated that by 2018 more than 50 percent of the adult population in six states, including Ohio, will be obese.
Curves International and Northeast Ohio Curves locations have made significant contributions to the go!FIT Greater Cleveland challenge by offering free three-month memberships to residents of Cuyahoga County, as well as donating all materials for their scientifically proven weight-management program to participants.
“Curves and the Cleveland Clinic share a passion and commitment to empower individuals to take charge of their health and achieve wellness,” stated Curves CEO Gary Heavin. “By increasing our outreach through this unprecedented community effort, our partnership with go!FIT is a natural extension of that mission. We are proud to be aligned with a leading medical brand and hope more organizations will follow this lead in their communities.”
"A campaign like go!FIT Greater Cleveland is yet another tool to help us address a critical need in Northeast Ohio," said Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. "In addition to programs like Steps to a Healthier Cleveland, go!FIT Greater Cleveland offers more opportunity to create a healtheir, more active region and kick off the New Year."
Interested county residents can visit
www.gofitcleveland.com for more details and information. Participants and the community can also get involved with go!FIT through Facebook at facebook.com/goFITCleveland and Twitter, @goFITCleveland.
