Our Work
Our work at Be Well centers around our commitment to increase access to wellness services throughout our community. Utilizing resources such as the Dane County Community Needs Assessment we know there are inequalities in our public health system. We believe that every individual deserves the opportunity to address their wellness, reguardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, or income.
By coming together we can have a strong impact on filling the gaps to equity's access and building a sustainable model for continual, coordinated care.
Launching right before the pandemic hit, we remain committed to moving forward. We value the work and partnerships we've created, and look forward to creating new ones.
Current Collaborations
Starting in Fall 2020, this partnership allowed us to pilot two programs through joint grants.
Massage Therapy:
We have continually offered weekly massage therapy for older adults with chronic pain. This has been funded by the Massage Therapy Foundation.
Engaged Practitioners: Laura Novak, Seth Jensen, Katie Keitt-Pride, Hannah Conley, Iris Mickey, Esther Martin
Youth Mental Health:
We offer individual therapy to youth as well as staff training and support. This has been funded by the David and Nancy Welsh Foundation. *This program has been put on hold due to BLW youth staff changes.
Engaged Practitioners: Liza Hahn, Kristen Radtke, Jamie Pekarek Krohn
Starting in March, we began offering acupuncture and massage therapy followed in April. We see potential for more modalities in the near future, too, and are working towards that!
Acupuncture:
We offer bimonthly acupuncture sessions for adults and children over the age of 12. Conditions treated include stress, headaches, back and neck pain. This is funded by a grant from MG&E.
Engaged Practitioner: Heidi Eimermann, MD
Massage Therapy:
We offer bimonthly massage therapy for older adults with chronic pain. This is funded by the Massage Therapy Foundation.
Engaged Practitioners: Amy Stoddard, Ashley Disrud, Emily Brock, Esther Martin
Starting the summer of 2021, we created four Live Well @ Your Library wellness events held at different neighborhood branches. These events centered on equitable access to resources, BIPOC practitioners offering wellness services, and listening and learning through community conversations.
Additionally, we distributed and invited feedback with a survey. If you are interested in sharing your voice and have a few minutes, we'd welcome you to take the brief survey here.
“Having a partnership with Be Well enabled our program to offer comprehensive one-one mental health services to our participants at a very crucial time in our community/society with the Covid-19 pandemic and all of it’s unprecedented mental health catastrophe. The opportunity for our marginalized families to receive high quality mental health services at a safe space and at no cost was immeasurable. My hopes are that some day we as a society take mental health as seriously as we do physical health to have little mental and wellness clinics in each community/neighborhood center in Madison.”
- Elsa Caetano, Youth Program Director Kennedy Heights Community Center
Upcoming Collaborations
We are in the planning stage and hope to start offering services this Spring. This site will be funded by a small grant from UW-MATCH and allows us to bring in more modalities of services.
Stay tuned for updates!
If you have any questions about our initiatives and/or want to support our work, please
CONTACT US.
Our Clinic Focus
Holistic
We understand that being well involves an intersectionality of needs. Our wellbeing is most effective when we utilize multiple approaches to help develop and maintain it.
Individual Empowerment
By providing easier access to services and knowledge, our goal is to empower individuals to make the most informed wellness choices for themselves.
Listen
We listen to you. Our clinics are structured to allow community centers to craft specific programming that responds to their resident’s unique wellness needs.
Local
The power of strong local relationships is crucial to making a meaningful impact. Connecting local wellness providers with members in their communities and building trust will have a positive ripple effect on us all.
Sustainable
In order to make real change and have the time necessary to build this trust, our programming needs to be consistent and sustainable. This requires moving away from both siloed offerings and dependency on volunteers. We recognize we need to work together, across wellness modalities, with a strong foundations and ability to pay clinic providers fairly.
Our Clinic Services
Below, you will see the potential programming that you can choose from to bring a community wellness clinic to your center or organization. We’ll work with you to help develop impactful services. This list is not exhaustive, so if there are areas you don’t see addressed just let us know and we’ll do our best to create it for you.
Click on the icons to see more!
Mental Wellness focuses on emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It contributes to how stress is handled, how we relate to others, and decision-making. Mental Wellness is very important throughout each stage of life. Be Well offers the following programs that support the allowance and acceptance of all emotions and encourage the awareness of perspectives and beliefs. Here are some examples of approaches used to support your mental wellness.
- Psychotherapy
- Art therapy
- Meditation and Mindfulness
- Yoga
Physical Wellness is the capability to sustain a positive quality of life that allows you to experience the most out of your daily activities without feelings of stress or fatigue. Be Well offers the following programs to help individuals move their bodies in ways that allow them to engage in life how they wish to.
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic
- Tai Chi
- Yoga
- Massage
- Functional movement
- Physical & Occupational therapy
- Massage for chronic pain
- Various physical activities
Spiritual Wellness allows you to live a life that is consistent with your personal belief and moral systems while discovering your sense of purpose and meaning. Be Well offers the following programs that encourage dignity for all lives, help individuals in exploring or strengthening their faith, a connection beyond oneself, or finding a sense of belonging.
- Spiritual counseling
- Spiritual meditation
- Reiki
Relationship Wellness focuses on creating and nurturing important and encouraging relationships with others. Be Well offers the following programs to help individuals improve the quality of connection to themselves and others.
- Psychotherapy
- Community building
- Volunteerism
- Family support
- Coaching
- Family events: Yoga, Art, Dance, Music, Mindfulness
Purpose focuses on strengthening the ability to be your best self in everything you do. Be Well offers the following programs to help individuals find purpose in all areas of their life.
- College Preparation and Career Exploration
- Social-Emotional learning Life coaching and mentoring - Volunteerism
- Work-life balance
Nutritional Wellness centers on the improvement of health by incorporating healthy habits and balanced eating into your daily life. Be Well offers the following programs that address individual needs for nutrition and support access to nutrition.
- Nutrition counseling/Education
- Cooking workshop
- Food accessibility
- Positive relationships with food
Environmental Wellness supports a lifestyle that places value on the relationship between yourself, your community, and the environment. Be Well offers the following programs and resources that address needs for clean air, water, and home security and safety.
- Access to nature
- Environmental toxin education
- Access to clean water and air
- Home security and safety education
- Life coaching and mentoring
Financial Wellness centers on providing educational resources on how to successfully and responsibly manage your finances. Be Well offers the following Programs and resources that help individuals access jobs, build career skills, and support financial security and literacy.
- Financial literacy
- Career skills workshop
- Access to equitable pay
Read more about our Resources
hereThis group is intended to inform you of choices and to facilitate collaboration among professionals, without recommending or prescribing. A listing on this website does not imply endorsement.
