WS Chronicle

By Judie Holcomb-Pack

If you are a customer of Humana, one of the nation’s top providers of Medicare insurance for those age 65 and older, you may be familiar with their online Neighborhood Center which offers both live online classes and on-demand health-related videos. Now, instead of you going online to Humana, they’re bringing Humana to you!

Humana recently opened a Neighborhood Center at 1045 Hanes Mall Blvd., in the strip center just below Costco, where they offer in-person classes on everything from nutrition to cooking demos to popcorn and movies. And you don’t have to be a Humana member to attend.

Mary Myers, the local sales manager, said that the Winston-Salem Neighborhood Center is one of five centers located in North Carolina. More centers are opening in other states. The centers are positioned to be a community resource for older adults to help them live healthy lives through educational, nutrition and cooking classes, and social and lifestyle support activities, such as fitness and wellness classes. They also plan to offer Silver Sneaker classes in the future. Humana membership is not required to participate in most activities and many services are at no cost.

The Neighborhood Center on Hanes Mall Boulevard is in the former Buffalo Wild Wings location and has a reception area with a coffee bar, computer and internet access, a large community room for classes and movies, an on-site agent to answer questions about Medicare, Medicare supplements and advantage plans. One of the most helpful offerings is a direct virtual connection to a customer service rep to help with any problems or questions you may have about your Humana insurance plan. Not only can you quickly connect with a representative, you can talk with them face to face while they help you with your questions, all in the privacy of the customer service room.

Humana also offers Go365, an online program where you can submit activities such as walking, participating in exercise programs, both virtual and in person, attending health-related classes, or other activities and earn points toward gift cards. 

As a national, state and local sponsor of Senior Games, Humana is supporting older adults to live a healthy lifestyle through exercise and social interactions. Humana’s representatives are also out in the community attending events, providing educational resources, volunteering with events such as Senior Games, and sponsoring MedAssist, which provides free over-the-counter health items at community events.

Although the Humana Neighborhood Center’s official ribbon cutting won’t happen until Thursday, June 16, they are already open and hosting classes. On the day I toured the center, I attended a nutrition class on reducing sodium in your diet presented by health educator Morgan Arensman, followed by a cooking class by chef Renee Myers on how to replace salt with spices and herbs. She prepared a delicious Panzanilla Salad which was shared among the attendees.

Humana Neighborhood Center has an exciting calendar of events for June (look for them in the Seniors calendar) and is open to both Humana members, as well as those who do not have Humana insurance. The Grand Opening will be June 16 and 17 with tours available after the ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Center hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 336-293-0122 or visit https://www.humana.com/humana-neighborhood-centers/.