Straight Talk About Wellness Centers
submitted by Amy Heydlauff
350,000 visits. That’s how many visits we expect to the Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester and Stockbridge Wellness Centers this year. Each of those visits has an incremental impact on someone’s health – maybe yours.
$949,000. That’s how much money we expect to lose in Wellness Center operations this year. The Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation (CWF) considers these loses part of our mission spending, along with another $645,000 budgeted for 5H and other community wide projects and $338,000 for community wellness projects through Chelsea Community Hospital.
Why would we continue to operate wellness centers if they don’t make money? Because they serve our mission; just like the 5H and CCH spending. Over the last five years we worked hard to increase access to ‘move more’ opportunities for everyone in our service area. Wellness centers are one option. Walking groups, Safe Routes to School, yoga in the park, classes for disabled adults at Chelsea Wellness Center and St. Louis Schools, walking paths, park improvements, bike racks, bike safety classes, bikes for disabled kids and other move more programs are funded by CWF and available to all.
We charge for many (but not all) of the services offered at our wellness centers. Of course, there is nothing unusual about a not-for-profit charging. Fees keep co-op nursery schools afloat. We pay to see the history at Greenfield Village and to receive care at not-for-profit hospitals. The difference between a for-profit preschool and a not-for-profit preschool is what happens if there is money left over. The not-for-profit sinks the left over back into their mission. The for-profit can put it in their pocket.
More than 7000 people are members of our centers. Beginning in October of this year, if you belong to Chelsea or Dexter Wellness Center you’ll have access to all four. In 2014 we stopped charging first time members an enrollment fee thus eliminating one more barrier to entry.
The Chelsea and Dexter Wellness Centers provide fee-based programs for anyone, absolutely anyone, in the community. Programs include water-baby classes, parent and youth yoga and more traditional exercise classes for adults. Once a month we host free senior swim on Friday afternoons and currently free pre-diabetes classes are held, weekly. Class members are free to use the track before and after their class. Girl Scouts come to the Wellness Center to learn and earn fitness badges and yoga instructors from our centers have been known to conduct free, outdoor yoga (although not in the last few months!).
Some people don’t need or want a medically integrated, certified wellness center, therapy pool with a lift, 65 class options each week or water-baby classes. There are plenty of other options if you want to join a different kind of facility. We encourage you to seek them out. Maybe you know of a local church with free Zumba classes in the basement. If your town has a Snap Fitness or a privately owned facility like Westside Gym and that’s your preference we hope you’ll join. Our goal is for you to have a broad range of options.
If you have any questions, please call me (734-433-4599). I would love to tell you about how CWF is implementing our mission to improve health for everyone in our communities, in part, through activities at our Wellness Centers.
Amy Heydlauff is the Executive Director of the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation. CWF serves the communities of Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester and Stockbridge.
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