title: Moving toward health and fitness: a collaborative academic and community mental health services partnership.
abstract: For individuals with serious mental illness, physical fitness is a health imperative. This article describes the progression of an ongoing interprofessional partnership formed between a university's school of health professions and a community mental health services agency to find ways to improve the physical health status of individuals served by the agency. Clinical and research initiatives involving nursing and physical therapy faculty and students have contributed to the establishment of a growing physical fitness and health promotion program championed by agency administrators, staff, and service users. The groundwork has been laid for future collaborative efforts. More needs to be done to turn the tide on the chronic disease tsunami that prematurely takes the lives of people struggling with mental disorders.
authors.forename: Marsha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lesley
authors.forename: Constance J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Creech
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sprague
authors.forename: Lucinda A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Pfalzer
authors.forename: Kelley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Quijano
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McHugh
mesh_terms: D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008603:Mental Health; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D026761:Physical Therapy Specialty / Q000193:education; D012579:Schools, Nursing; D013336:Students, Health Occupations; D013338:Students, Nursing