The Community Wellness Initiative (CWI) is the brainchild of Dr. Paul Ehrmann, founder of the Family Health Care Clinic in Royal Oak, Michigan. "Providing health care services to my patients over the last two decades, it has always been important to me to provide you with not only personal medical attention when you are ill, but also be able to deliver preventative and health maintenance care in order to keep you healthy and thereby less susceptible to disease."

What is the Community Wellness Initiative?
The Community Wellness Initiative is a unique, comprehensive preventative and wellness care program that addresses the essential health disciplines of exercise, nutrition and both physical and emotional stress reduction. Services will be delivered by an interwoven team of five exceptionally experienced, independent professionals (with referral to a board certified cardiologist if necessary) including:

• Board Certified Physician
• Certified Personal Trainer
• Registered Dietitian
• Certified Massage Therapist
• Michigan Limited Licensed Clinical Psychologist
• Certified Addictions Counselor

How does it work?
As a CWI participant, you will begin the program with a Total Body Composition analysis and limited physical examination with emphasis on the cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal system, administered by Dr. Ehrmann to assess baseline and ongoing fitness performance.  In addition, diagnostic tests such as EKG, blood work and cardiac and lung assessments should be performed.  If warranted, you might be referred to the Cardiologist who will assess your heart health and exercise tolerance.

The resulting information will be shared with the Personal Trainer, who will then customize a training program to your individual needs and personal fitness goals.  If warranted, Dr. Ehrmann may be asked to see you on a periodic basis to monitor your progress.  The personal trainer also will make baseline assessments of muscular strength/endurance, cardiovascular fitness and flexibility from which to measure your improvements throughout the program.

Acting as the hub of the wheel, the Personal Trainer will assist you in combining the other fundamental elements of the Community Wellness Initiative program:

• behavior modifying nutrition counseling to set healthy and realistic fitness goals befitting your personal lifestyle and food preferences;
• ongoing clinical massage therapy to improve circulation and joint mobility, relieve muscle tension and stress, increase energy flow and immune system functioning;
• relaxing therapeutic counseling to clear away emotional disturbances or mental blocks, and eliminate fears, phobias or barriers which prevent you from becoming healthier.

Throughout the program, continuous assessments will be preformed to monitor your personal progress.

Each aspect of the program is supported and enhanced by the others.  Experience has proven that maximum results are realized when the disciplines are combined.  Although the CWI offers many options, you can expect to experience the highest motivation and inspiration for success when you take advantage of all the elements working together.

How will I benefit?
Feeling tired more often, older, less inspired?  Feeling stressed, limited, self-sabotaged?  Feeling disappointed by the lack of desired results from your own efforts at health and fitness improvement?

Taking part in the Community Wellness Initiative is taking control of your health and taking care of yourself.  You'll benefit from the experience of this results-oriented team, each dedicated to your personal success.  You'll benefit from constructive, non-judgmental guidance toward your own goal.  In addition, you'll learn a lot about your body and your attitude toward staying healthy, better insuring your wellness.

Specifically, clients look forward to noticeably positive improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decreased body fat, as well as increased energy, strength, balance and flexibility.  The CWI can help you learn to analyze your own eating habits, maintain a healthier weight, feel more energetic and avoid diet pitfalls in addition to health-threatening foods.  Through therapeutic massage and counseling, the program seeks to not just manage stress, but to attack stress at its roots and reduce or eliminate it.

What can I expect?
You can expect change.  Although that might seem like the scariest part, realize that it is a positive change that you will be able to both see and feel and definitely rejoice about.

You should expect to start the program with a dedication to your own health improvement and the commitment to focus your thinking on the priority of your health.  Prepare to make accommodations in your daily schedule to devote time to your wellness and longevity.  The program will challenge you to break unhealthy cycles and self-destructive habits.  You can expect expert involvement from practiced professionals, all working together to support you throughout that change to a livelier and healthier outlook and, in fact, a livelier and healthier look.

Who are the CWI providers?

Paul R. Ehrmann, D.O., is the founder, Medical Director and owner of the Family Health Care Clinic in Royal Oak, Michigan, established in 1981.  He has been affiliated with William Beaumont Hospital since.  Epitomizing the compassionate and personally concerned family doctor, Dr. Paul, as he is known, blends high tech with the human touch and provides full-service care to four generations of patients.  His record includes a long list of community involvements and volunteer service ranging from medical consultant for the Senior Center to volunteer team physician for both Royal Oak high schools, to moving and donating two homes to needy families.  Since his first day in practice, his philosophy has been to treat patients as you would your own family.

Susan Pongratz is a certified personal trainer and owner of Custom Fit Personal Training in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.  Certified by the American Council on Exercise, the National Academy of Sports Medicine and by Moms in Motion as a Pre/Postnatal Fitness Instructor, Sue has designed and implemented wellness programs for nearly 50 locations of a global corporation and has been a fitness lecturer and a personal trainer to hundreds of gratified clients of varying ages and needs since 1998.  Sue's totally customized programs are built around cardiovascular and resistance training and stretching techniques.  Her personalized exercises change as you do to avoid boredom or plateau.

Deborah Bogle, a Michigan Limited Licensed Clinical Psychologist since 1991 and a Certified Addictions Counselor since 1997, graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1991 with a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology.  Sessions with Deborah are held in a very tranquil, relaxing environment.  Problem areas and issues of a physical, mental, emotional, psychological, psychic and spiritual nature are identified and eliminated through the use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and/or Chinese Energetic Medicine Therapy.  Deborah owns Helping Hearts Heal in Troy, Michigan, and specializes in stress reduction, fear and trauma relief, weight loss, conflict resolution, relationship enhancement, fear of public speaking, intuition development and addictions.

Pamela Haddad, a Registered Dietitian, teaches Human Nutrition at the university level, is a frequent keynote speaker at medical conferences, and a regular columnist for the Michigan Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.  In addition to her work as a Clinical Dietitian, providing nutritional counseling to patients enrolled in Beaumont Hospital's Research Institute, Pam has operated the Pamela M. Haddad, R.D., M.S., Nutrition Counseling Service in Royal Oak, Michigan, since 1991.  In her work, Pam targets awareness of personal needs and fitness to develop the knowledge and skills required to affect positive behavioral changes in dietary habits.

Georgia Miller has earned advanced diplomas and certificates in Massage Therapy.  Always intent on expanding her own knowledge to better serve her clients, she has advanced training 21 different kinds of massage applications.  In addition to Kinesiology and Hydrotherapy, Georgia is highly experienced in therapies ranging from Swedish Massage and Reflexology to Myo-facial, Trigger-point and Sports Massage.  With each client, Georgia's main objectives are to relieve stress, increase joint mobility and circulation, release toxins from the system and restore energy.

How can I participate?
You can enroll in the CWI as an individual, join an established group program, or inquire if group classes can be arranged for your business or civic group.

For additional information about the Community Wellness Initiative, or to register for the program, contact Sue Pongratz by phone at (586) 419-4922.

The Community Wellness Initiative is a network of independently owned and operated businesses which have individual responsibility for their respective services and a collective dedication to the health of the people in the community.