Community

Development Recreation

72 Bank Street

Fall River, MA 02720

508-679-0922

Community Development Recreation (CD REC) provides year-round recreational, educational and cultural programs for Fall River residents, with a particular emphasis on socio-economically disadvantaged youth. Its goal is to provide a variety of programs ranging from participatory sports and creative classes to educational presentations and theatrical-musical performances for those who could otherwise be unable to afford or participate in these programs.

Along with regularly scheduled after school, evening and weekend programs CD REC provides daylong activities for the youth of our community during summer months as well as sports clinics and craft classes during February and April school vacation weeks. Summer events are always very successful and service more than 30,000 residents each year.

Dartmouth YMCA

276 Gulf Road Dartmouth MA 02748

508-993-3361

Fall River Fitness Challenge

72 Bank Street Fall River, MA 02720

508-679-0922

Community Development Recreation (CD-REC), General Fitness, Healthy City Fall River, and the Fall River YMCA join together every year to challenge adults who live, work or attend school in Fall River to get fit, healthy, prevent Type 2 diabetes and pledge to collectively lose more than a ton of weight (2000 lbs)!  

Fitness participants gain access to programs and fitness centers throughout the city for little or no cost—programs that will help them learn to eat well, lose weight, get fit, prevent diabetes and other diseases and win some great prizes!

The Fall River Fitness Challenge is open to all adults who live, work or attend school in Fall River. Join with a buddy, by yourself or form a team at work!

Join the Challenge at the annual kick-off on the first Saturday in January from 10AM- 2PM at the CD-REC facility located at 72 Bank Street to sign up, weigh in, and learn more about the Challenge! There will also be a Health and Wellness Fair during the sign-up time. You can register for the Challenge for $2 and receive a wrist band that will give you discounts at program sites. You may also sign up at CD REC, 72 Bank Street or at the YMCA anytime until January 30th. Some worksites will also be holding registrations.

Family Service association E.A.P.

151 Rock Street
Fall River, MA 02720

508-678-7542

The Family Service Association Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is designed to assist workers who are having difficulties that may adversely affect their job performance. By contracting with local companies to provide an Employee Assistance Program, Family Service Association provides a comprehensive package of staff training, case management services and on-going consultation. Employees have direct access to the agency's mental health and substance abuse treatment services, other agency programs or outside services where applicable.

 The range of areas typically managed by an EAP provider includes:

• personal issues job stress

• relationship issues

• eldercare, childcare, parenting issues

• substance abuse

• separation and loss

• balancing work and family

• financial or legal

• family violence

The Employee Assistance Program also specializes in providing Critical Incident Stress Debriefing to police officers or any group of employees who have had a workplace emergency, accident, work site death, robbery or any critical incident.

Freedom from smoking

Saint Anne's Hospital

795 Middle Street
Fall River, MA 02721

508-674-7900

Saint Anne's Hospital offers "Freedom from Smoking", a smoking cessation group, at various times throughout the year. 

Designed by the American Lung Association (ALA) to help smokers quit in an instructive and supportive environment, “Freedom from Smoking” is a low-cost program that uses both group and individual counseling to address many of the issues that often prevent smokers from successfully giving up the habit.  

This program is held three times a year (January, May, September).  A $25 fee includes all materials.  Pre-registration required.  Get more information by calling 508-674-5600, ext. 2392.

Healthy City Fall River website

Healthy City Fall River personal health web pages offer up-to-date information on local resources that can help with nutrition, fitness, weight, control, smoking, substance abuse and stress and mental health concerns.

Look Who's Cooking?

Look Who's Cooking? is a cable television series produced for Fall River cable television that covers the basics of setting up a kitchen and preparing healthy meals. Six half-hour episodes can be accessed anytime at this web site.

New Bedford YMCA

25 Water Street
New Bedford
MA 02740

508-997-0734

Outlook E.A.P. Inc.

333 Union St.
New Bedford, MA 02740

508-990-0777

Outlook Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential, professional resource for your employees to successfully address the challenges in their lives before they experience work performance difficulties. The earlier a problem is identified and resolved, the less likely it is to affect the employee’s work. Our emphasis on prevention is reflected in the employee literature, wellness seminars, and outreach programs designed to remove the stigma attached to seeking help. Our services are available to the employee’s family members because a family problem affects your employee.

People, Inc. Diabetes Association

170 Pleasant Street
Fall River, MA 02720

508-837-6902

The Diabetes Association of Fall River & New Bedford provides education on diabetes prevention and management for employees. A variety of support groups are available at a number of community locations.  

The Diabetes Association, Inc. (DAI)’s adult programs are designed to help control Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in adults as well as prevent Type 2 diabetes and the complications that can come with improper management of this disease. The program is free to anyone who has diabetes or is close to someone with diabetes. 

Saint Anne's Hospital

795 Middle Street
Fall River, MA 02721

508-674-7900

Saint Anne's Hospital Diabetes Education is available to adults in the Greater Fall River Area through scheduled classes and events.

Please check the Hospital web site (www.saintanneshospital.org) under events and classes for the latest information or call 508-674-5600 to inquire about upcoming classes.

Links to a number of videotaped episodes of presentations are also available on-line.

Southcoast Hospital Cardiac Prevention Program

383 Highland Avenue
Fall River, MA 02720

508-679-7187

Southcoast Hospitals offers a number of worksite wellness programs and health resources for local employers:

Lunch & Learn Sessions (30 minutes each) on a variety of topics:

• FIT to a T (Spring)

• Sun Safety 101 (Summer)

• Holidays and Stress Aren't the Same (Fall)

• Distortion in Your Portion?

• Eating on the Go

• Your Health -- Keeping It Close to Your Heart

• There's No Place Like Home

• Screens for Life

Southcoast Hospitals Flu Vaccines (October through December)

Southcoast Hospitals Hepatitis B Vaccines

Southcoast Hospitals CPR/First Aid/ AED training

Southcoast Hospitals Flu Vaccines

Southcoast Hospitals Strength Training for Beginners

Southcoast Hospitals Flexibility Testing

Southcoast Hospital Cardiac Prevention Program

383 Highland Avenue
Fall River, MA 02720

508-679-7187

Southcoast Hospital's Cardiac Prevention Program helps members of the community lower their risk for heart disease.

The program provides individualized screening for risk factors, which includes a questionnaire and cholesterol screening. Both the initial screening and follow-up are conducted by a dedicated team that includes a nurse, a dietitian and a pharmacist.

The program's prevention efforts focus on promoting education, lifestyle changes and risk factor modification. 

These efforts are coordinated in a number of different ways — working with the Southcoast Health Van, local churches, businesses and other organizations and outreach efforts with local schools.

Stanley Street Treatment & Resources

386 Stanley Street
Fall River, MA 02720

508-679-5222

Stanley Street Treatment and Resources (SSTAR) is a non-profit health care and social service agency that provides a wide range of mental health and substance abuse treatment services to people throughout the communities of Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Through Project Assist, SSTAR staff can provide the following on-site screenings for employees at no charge:

General Screenings: SSTAR will provide screenings to people to help them determine if they are at risk for substance abuse or mental health problems. Free, voluntary screenings will take place at locations throughout Fall River or at the SSTAR's Health Center. The screenings are also valuable because they help people identify symptoms of new problems they may have never dealt with before. These may include issues with depression or anxiety which can be hard to recognize or understand, alone.

Trauma Assessments: People who have suffered from past traumas such as sexual or physical abuse; or those experienced by veterans or refugees may have a more difficult time dealing with hard times. Stress can trigger negative and intense reactions to these past traumas; including anxiety, depression, flashbacks and violence. We can help people identify if old traumas are being triggered. 

Domestic Violence Screenings: SSTAR has support services both for people who are victims of domestic violence, and those who are struggling with violence. We can help screen you or anyone you know for symptoms of violence.

If the need for treatment services is indicated, referrals can be made either to SSTAR or to other local agencies where Medicare, Medicaid and most third party insurance plans are accepted. Some services have a sliding scale fee.

Stanley Street Treatment & Resources

386 Stanley Street
Fall River, MA 02720

508-679-5222

Stanley Street Treatment and Resources (SSTAR) is a non-profit health care and social service agency that provides a wide range of mental health and substance abuse treatment services to people throughout the communities of Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

SSTAR offers individual and group counseling for smoking cessation. Contact information is available on their website.

Fall River Y

199 N. Main St. Fall River, MA 02720

508-675-7841

The Fall River Y is a full service facility offering programs that nurture everyone from school age children with child care, summer camp and swim lessons to aiding seniors to stay healthy. We are guiding our teens and young adults to discover who they are and help them to achieve their future goals through healthy living wellness programs such as Aerobics, Yoga & Tai Chi. Our family literacy/GED program supports parents & their families in furthering their education and growing together.

In communities across the nation, the Y is a leading voice on health and well-being. With a mission centered on balance, the Y brings families closer together, encourages good health and fosters connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interests. As a result, here on the SouthCoast thousands of youth, adults and families are receiving the support, guidance and resources needed to achieve greater health and well-being for their spirit, mind and body.

Mass Tobacco Control

Web-based Resources for Employers

An eleven-page survey that can be used to assess the current state of worksite wellness capacity can be found at 2008 Massachusetts Worksite Health Improvement Survey (Word)

Order free medical information on many health topics. Massachusetts Heath Promotion Clearinghouse

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Working on Wellness Toolkit (PDF) 3.18MB | Word 2.24MB. It will provide you with everything you need to get started in planning a worksite wellness program.

The Mass In Motion website contains links to dozens of useful resources for both employers and employees to improve their health status.