STONY BROOK, NY, October 30, 2006 – The School of Health Technology and Management at Stony Brook University, with support from a grant issued by the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), is launching “Play Fit-Stay Fit!,” a new wellness program to help pediatric cancer survivors get back to their pre-cancer physical activities. Developed by the Physical Therapy program in the School of Health Technology and Management at Stony Brook University and the Department of Pediatric Oncology at Stony Brook University Medical Center, “Play Fit-Stay Fit!” is the first collaborative, multi-disciplinary wellness program for cancer patients on Long Island.
The Department of Physical Therapy at Stony Brook received a $150,000 three-year evolution grant from the LAF to launch “Play Fit-Stay Fit!,” the clinical site for which will be based at “Body in Balance,” a wellness facility located in Hauppauge that offers physical therapy and wellness services to a diverse population spanning all ages. The first 12-week Play Fit-Stay Fit! session is expected to begin in Spring 2007.
“A comprehensive wellness program that incorporates fitness and nutrition and psychosocial counseling does not exist for a child living with cancer,” says Raymond McKenna, PT, Ph.D., Program Director of Play Fit-Stay Fit!, and Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy. “Consequently, children and their parents report difficulty returning to pre-cancer levels of participation in physical play and sport, which often has a negative influence on quality of life and contributes to low levels of fitness and overall wellness throughout childhood and adulthood.”
The structure of the program is multi-disciplinary and consists of a medical team lead by Robert Parker, M.D., Director of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology at Stony Brook; an academic team lead by Richard Johnson, PT, MA, Clinical Associate Professor and Chair of Stony Brook’s Physical Therapy Program; a clinical team lead by Lisa Mancini, DPT, an Orthopedic Specialist in Physical Therapy; and an evaluation team lead by Janice Sniffen, PT, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Academic Administration for Stony Brook’s Physical Therapy Program. The program will also cultivate a Community Advisory Board which will be charged with advising and informing Dr. McKenna on all aspects of the program’s development and sustainability.
The 12-week program is free to pediatric cancer survivors and their families and is designed to be fun and dynamic as well as unique because it focuses not only on fitness, but also integrates nutritional and psychosocial aspects of rehabilitative development. Physical therapists, exercise physiologists, athletic and personal trainers, nutritionists and Child-Life specialists will pool their expertise and work with patients and their families. Goals are to improve physical abilities such as strength, mobility, endurance, coordination, and balance, as well as provide nutritional guidance and psychosocial support.
The LAF is a not-for-profit organization founded by cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong, to provide the information and tools to help people with cancer live life on their own terms. This year, the LAF awarded nearly $1 million in grants to 27 community, non-profit organizations across the country for programs that help people with the physical, emotional and practical challenges of cancer.
For more information about Play Fit-Stay Fit!, contact Stony Brook University Medical Center HealthConnect® at 631-444-4000.
