The University of Arizona RISE Health & Wellness Center’s Camp Wellness begins its 50th camp on Monday, Sept. 17. Named “The Golden Camp,” it will culminate in a special “Jubilation Celebration” on Thursday, Nov. 15.
Camp Wellness is an award-winning program of the UA Department of Family and Community Medicine for individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI), general mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
Adults with SMI or a general mental health/substance use disorder diagnosis through Arizona Complete Care (formerly named Cenpatico) or University of Arizona Health Plans may be eligible to attend.
Over the past 49 camps, Camp Wellness has helped improve the lives of more than 1,600 adults throughout Southern Arizona. By attending Camp Wellness, students learn to:
- Choose and prepare healthful meals
- Understand the human body and how to keep it healthy
- Enjoy safe, supported exercise
- Interact socially in a positive, challenging, supportive learning environment
Camp Wellness employs “health mentors”—certified recovery support specialists, who have experienced SMI or substance use disorders and have gone through training to provide peer support and teach classes to others living with SMI and/or substance use disorders.
“The health mentors are essential to the success students achieve through the program, said Cheryl Glass, director of Camp Wellness. “It is a joy to see people improving week after week, daring to dream and achieving their goals.”
In Arizona, individuals with SMI live about 33 years less than the average population. Sixty percent of these early deaths are due to preventable causes such as tobacco use, obesity, poverty and lack of access to health care. The goal of Camp Wellness is to enhance each student’s knowledge, skills and integration into healthy lifestyle choices.
To enroll in Camp Wellness, please visit fcm.medicine.arizona.edu/camp-wellness . If you have questions about Camp Wellness, please contact Pamela Wagner, 520-396-2310, or email hwcenter@email.arizona.edu.
To make a tax-deductible gift to Camp Wellness, please go to CampWellness.org. Camp Wellness is located at 1030 N. Alvernon Way.
About the University of Arizona Department of Family and Community Medicine
The UA Department of Family and Community Medicine at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson is one of the top-ranking family medicine programs in the country. The department is known for outstanding pre- and post-doctoral education, groundbreaking research and innovative community outreach programs designed to improve the health of individuals, families and communities in the region and beyond. The department places strong emphasis on research, particularly in the fields of tobacco cessation, substance use disorders, obesity and related diseases, cancer survivorship, behavioral health and disabilities. In collaboration with the UA Department of Psychiatry, the department opened the Banner – University Medicine Whole Health Clinic, an integrative care clinic for patients living with serious mental illness, putting the department at the forefront of behavioral health care.
About the University of Arizona Health Sciences
The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The UA Health Sciences includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy, and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs approximately 4,000 people, has approximately 800 faculty members and garners more than $140 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: uahs.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Instagram)