Wellness center now open to public
REDSTONE TWP. – Eighteen weight machines, exercise bikes, recumbent climbers and other pieces of fitness equipment are ready and waiting at the Wellness Center operated by Brownsville General Hospital. The center has been open to physical therapy outpatients for several months and has recently opened to the general public for fitness programs. There is a monthly fee of $35, with no contract or long-term commitment. Hospital spokeswoman Karen DeiCas said gift certificates for a month’s membership are also available.
DeiCas said opening the Wellness Center to the public allows patients who have undergone physical therapy to continue to improve their fitness level once insurance has stopped covering their therapy sessions. Genevieve Sisk of Brownsville is one of the first patients to switch over from outpatient therapy to a Wellness Center membership. She’s been exercising at the Wellness Center since mid-January.
“I fell over a baby gate and dislocated my shoulder and shattered it,” Sisk said.
Sisk uses equipment that helps strengthen her upper back, shoulder and arm muscles to continue to improve the use of her shoulder. She is also able to use the other equipment at the center, such as the recumbent stair climber, getting the exercise benefits of a stair climber with less stress on her back.
“All of this equipment works different muscle groups,” said Jennifer Milne, an exercise physiologist and the Wellness Center coordinator.
The equipment looks intimidating, but Milne said the staff makes sure clients know how to use each piece. The center employs a physical therapist, an exercise physiologist, two physical therapy assistants and a physical therapy aide. Jason Braddee of Smithfield is currently interning at the Wellness Center as part of his six-week clinical rotation in California University of Pennsylvania’s Physical Therapy Assistant Program. The two-year program results in an associate’s degree.
“I mainly work with the physical therapy. We bring the patients in and teach them how to use the various pieces of equipment,” Braddee said.
Braddee said he also works with patients to teach them manual stretching techniques, as well as working with heat and cold therapy to teach patients how to control their pain. DeiCas is one of the pain management patients at the center.
“I came here for therapy and the therapy is to help the pain. But the pain is due to weakness of the back muscles. Once I’m out of the chronic pain management level, they’ll put me onto maintenance,” DeiCas said.
Milne said individualization and attention to medical conditions are two of the benefits of the Wellness Center. “We work with each person individually. It’s not one type of routine and they have to follow it,” Milne said.
Milne works with the hospital’s cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation units as well as diabetes management and physical therapy. She said anyone interested in joining the Wellness Center should call to set up an initial assessment.
“I tell them about the program and take a little bit of a medical history. They have to have a physicians permission to begin,” Milne said.
Milne said that doesn’t mean a person has to have an underlying medical condition to participate in the program.
“If you are perfectly healthy, you can come in to maintain condition,” Milne said.
Milne said the program can also enhance weight loss or help people increase their range of motion and manage arthritis pain.
She is checking to see if the program qualifies as a tax deduction under new Internal Revenue Service allowances for weight loss programs.
“Right now, we’re open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some people like to come with people they know, with their friends. Others like to come right after work or before work,” Milne said.
Milne said she teaches participants to be able to use the equipment independently, so they feel comfortable using exercise equipment when they go on cruises or to other facilities, but she is always available to answer any questions.
The Wellness Center can be reached at 724-785-2219.