Lawrence health news and notes: New class at Bert Nash; stay up to speed on trails; learn about lifestyle medicine

photo by: Jeff Burkhead/Contributed Photo

Lawrence artist John Sebelius is working with Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to offer clients an alternative way to express themselves.

Bert Nash, local artist team up for new class

Lawrence artist John Sebelius is working with Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to offer clients an alternative way to express themselves, their thoughts and emotions.

The 12-session class, Artistic Expressions: Healing Arts for Mental Health Initiatives, started Thursday. It will include 15 to 20 Bert Nash clients in each session, so more than 100 people could benefit from the program, according to information on the center’s website, bertnash.org.

As the Journal-World previously reported, Sebelius is also artist-in-residence at the Cofrin-Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment at the University of Kansas, where he offers art therapy sessions for veterans.

On Friday, Bert Nash also announced that a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation has allowed it to purchase a van to transport clients to and from the center.

Area trails organization to kick off 2019

The local nonprofit Friends of Lawrence Area Trails, or FLAT, will kick off 2019 with a happy hour to offer updates on extending the Lawrence Loop, upcoming projects and the year’s action plan, plus how you can get involved in all of it.

The event is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10 at Abe & Jake’s Landing, 8 E. Sixth St.

The group has also rolled out an email newsletter to share updates. For more information or to subscribe, visit flatks.org.

Parks & Recreation to offer lifestyle medicine class

The Lawrence Parks & Recreation Department will offer a program to help participants change their health for the better through preventive measures.

The two-session class, Lifestyle Medicine, will “explore common illnesses and the way lifestyle choices can help combat (them), as well as ways to create healthy habits affecting blood pressure, cholesterol levels, weight, blood sugar levels and brain health,” according to a news release.

The class costs $13 per person and will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24 and 31 at the Community Building, 115 W. 11th St.

Registration is available online at lprd.org. For more information, contact Gayle Sigurdson at 785-832-7920 or gsigurdson@lawrenceks.org.

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