New LIVESTRONG® at the YMCA Commitment Highlighted by White House and National Cancer Moonshot Initiative

AUSTIN, Texas, June 29, 2016 /3BL Media/ – Vice President Joe Biden highlighted a commitment by LIVESTRONG and YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) to double the size and scope of the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program by 2021 to serve 100,000 cancer survivors and to integrate the program into clinical practice across the country. The commitment was one of multiple around the U.S. catalyzed by the Cancer Moonshot initiative and released by the White House today.

LIVESTRONG at the YMCA is an evidence-based community located program that helps adult cancer survivors reclaim their health and well-being after treatment. The 12-week, small group program aids survivors in improving their strength and physical fitness, diminishing the severity of therapy side effects and developing supportive relationships. The program is offered at little to no cost for cancer survivors.

Currently in 516 communities in the U.S., LIVESTRONG at the YMCA has served more than 38,000 survivors since 2007 and trained more than 2,750 YMCA staff members. As reflected in the Moonshot commitment, LIVESTRONG and the YMCA of the USA are aiming to serve at least 62,000 more survivors over the next five years, for a total of 100,000 since the program’s creation.

In 2015, researchers from Yale University and Dana Farber Cancer Institute found that LIVESTRONG at the YMCA improves survivors' overall quality of life, increases cardiovascular endurance, decreases cancer-related fatigue, and helps them meet or exceed recommended amounts of physical activity.

The goal of the National Cancer Moonshot is to double the rate of progress toward a cure – to make a decade of advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care in five years. For more information about the Cancer Moonshot, visit: https://www.whitehouse.gov/CancerMoonshot. 

For more information about LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, visit http://www.livestrongymca.org.

About the LIVESTRONG Foundation

The LIVESTRONG Foundation fights to improve the lives of people affected by cancer now. For 19 years, LIVESTRONG has been a voice for cancer survivors and has directly served more than 3.5 million people. A pioneer in the field of survivorship, LIVESTRONG remains a world leader in providing direct services to cancer patients and survivors, advocating for policies that enhance survivors’ quality of life and developing partnerships that create access to cancer programs across the country. Since 2007, the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program has made a return to fitness and well-being possible for more than 38,000 survivors in more than 500 YMCA locations. Working with The University of Texas’ Dell Medical School, LIVESTRONG is building the LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes to reinvent and redesign cancer care for and with people affected by cancer.

If anyone you know needs cancer support, please visit LIVESTRONG.org/WeCanHelp. For more information about our programs and services, please visit LIVESTRONG.org.

About YMCA of the USA
YMCA of the USA is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net