UM-Flint students awarded $50,000 grant to improve diversity in Parkinson's exercise classes 

A pair of physical therapy doctorate students at the University of Michigan-Flint have secured a $50,000 grant to bolster the diversity of providers offering critical Parkinson's disease treatment.

Nia Ahart's and Zoey Humes' "Move to Represent" initiative will train 10 physical and occupational therapy professionals of color to implement PWR!Moves, an evidence-based exercise and physical therapy program, at UM-Flint's Health Equity, Action Research, and Teaching clinic. By increasing the number of exercise providers of color, their initiative aims to help individuals receive care from providers who understand and represent their communities, fostering trust and growing participation in life-changing exercise programs. The team will use funding to partner with the Michigan Parkinson Foundation to send students through the foundation's "Train the Trainer" program. 

"This grant is a game changer for people with Parkinson's in communities of color," said Kristin Rossi, CEO of the Michigan Parkinson Foundation. "We know that representation matters in effective community outreach, and we are honored to be a part of this project so that, in partnership, we can help bring greater attention to the importance of movement-based activities in the greater Flint Parkinson's community and beyond."

The grant was awarded through U-M's Health Equity Challenge, which encourages students from each of the university's three campuses to partner with a community organization to develop real solutions to health equity challenges in their area. The challenge had 59 submissions with three winning groups chosen from 14 finalists. This year was the first time UM-Flint students were eligible to bring home the $50,000 grant with funding provided by Molina Healthcare. 

UM-Flint's HEART is a natural venue for the initiative. The clinic, which operates once a week in Flint's Insight Health and Fitness Center, offers pro bono, one-on-one physical therapy and occupational therapy services, an exercise class for people with Parkinson's disease, and a walking class for people who have had a stroke. Now in its 15th year, HEART is impacting health outcomes for uninsured and underinsured patients and providing meaningful, hands-on learning experiences for UM-Flint students.

"A key component of HEART programming is our face-to-face exercise class where we serve anywhere between 10 and 12 participants with Parkinson's disease each week," said Amy Yorke, UM-Flint professor of physical therapy. "While our exercise programming is located in the city of Flint, we have more work to do with recruiting participation from people of color."

"Representation matters. Imagine receiving health care and never coming across anyone who looks like you. This happens consistently to people of color. A broader representation of providers improves the care and outcomes of persons of color."

These issues motivated Ahart and Humes to develop a grant proposal that could connect more people with the resources available through HEART.

"I live in Detroit, and there are so many resources and opportunities that I have to travel outside of the city just to receive," said Ahart. "A lot of people in Detroit don't have the means to travel, so I think having those lived experiences and being able to translate what we would like to see in our communities into a grant proposal was very helpful."

Humes hopes to use her education and experience at UM-Flint to open a community center that can serve the needs of individuals with disabilities in her community. "We eventually want to be able to take what we have learned and go into our communities throughout Michigan and hold classes there as well," said Humes, who lives in Ypsilanti. "It might start in Flint, but we want this to expand wherever we go."

For more information about HEART and its programming, visit the clinic's webpage.