Manchester Wellness Center is located at 710 East Main Street, behind the Middle School.

St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea (SJMC) and Chelsea Wellness Foundation (CWF) are teaming up to support cancer patients. Beginning this month, all patients of the SJMC Cancer Center will receive scholarships to CWF’s Next Steps program. The program is an eight week Wellness Center fitness program developed to support patients who are preparing for, in or recovering from cancer treatment. All Next Steps participants will receive access to the Manchester Wellness Center.

St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea opened their Cancer Center in December 2014. Both infusion and radiation therapy treatments are available. In addition to SJMC’s services, unique setting, and Next Steps, they off other amenities including a full time concierge, heated infusion chairs, support groups, and future In Spirit Center offering massages, prosthetic fittings, and hair and skin care.

Next Steps combines personal attention with full access to any of the four CWF Wellness Centers (Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester and Stockbridge). Participants meet in small supervised groups twice a week with a certified fitness specialist at either the Chelsea or Dexter Wellness Center. The fitness specialist guides them through Next Steps, working with individuals to design a program specific to their needs including proper type, frequency and intensity of exercise. Participants have access to the walking track, cardio and weight equipment, group exercise classes and the warm water therapy and lap pools.

According to Cindy Cope, Wellness Center Senior Director, classes can be as restful or strenuous as the participant can tolerate. “Some people may only be interested in gentle yoga or light toning classes. Others may feel up to joining a water aerobics class – gentle but effective. Participants may be up to a more challenging class one week and less the next. Because of the large number of classes we offer there is almost always an option.”

Recognizing some participants my not feel well enough during active treatment, the opportunity to participate in Next Steps can be saved for immediately following active treatment. Other participants may want to start Next Steps right away but find they need to take a break. They will be welcome to finish the program when they are able. Wellness Center staff will work with the participants’ health care provider and send reports to the referring provider at the beginning and end of the Next Steps program.

Jenny Bach Smith is a recent graduate of the Next Steps Cancer program at Chelsea Wellness Center. Following a month‐long hospitalization, with deconditioning so severe she couldn’t hold a glass of water with her right hand or pick up her four‐year‐old son, Jenny joined the Next Steps program.

“Following my initial assessment I knew I could only improve.” She said. “My fitness specialist set up a whole program for me. As I improved the program was revised. She taught me how to use all the machines and if she wasn’t there when I needed help someone else would answer my questions. Everyone was super helpful, which gave me confidence. When I had my final Next Steps assessment I had reached my goals.”

Ivy Friess, Director of the SJMC Infusion Center, describes their philosophy. “When we treat a patient for cancer, we are concerned about all aspects of care, including the general health and well‐being of the patient during and after treatment. The Next Steps program offers our patients the opportunity to heal body, mind and spirit.”

Next Steps is a well‐established program of the Chelsea and Dexter Wellness Centers. It is available to anyone with a referral from a health care provider. Health care providers include nurse practitioners, nutritionists, mental health providers, physicians, physical therapists and others. In addition to the Cancer Next Steps the Wellness Centers offer Next Steps fitness programs for orthopedics; diabetes, cardiac and pulmonary fitness; pre‐hab, a program to prepare you for surgery; functional fitness for arthritis, fibromyalgia and other auto‐immune disorders; weight management; and transitional care (for those recovering from illness or hospitalization). The programs are all eight weeks in length and cost $99 for members and non‐members who aren’t part of a scholarship program.

“Next Steps reaches a population that’s very hard to care for – those with needs beyond simple fitness,” said Anne Kittendorf, MD, member of the CWF Board of Directors. “So even though one Next Steps enrollment cost CWF $220 to provide, we gladly supplements Next Steps enrollment so participants only pay $99. We wish more physicians and other health care providers took advantage of the program for their patients. The outcomes for patients who participate in Next Steps are impressive.”

St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea (SJMC) is a not-for-profit hospital established in 1970. Located in Chelsea, Michigan, SJMC is a member of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. SJMC is nationally recognized for both quality of care and patient satisfaction by national ranking organization Press Ganey, and is accredited by the Joint Commission. SJMC attracts more than 300 physicians in almost all disciplines, with leading edge technology.

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving six counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 144-bed St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the six hospitals are licensed for 1,697 beds, have six outpatient health centers, five urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 14,000 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 3,200 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $1.9 billion and returns about $133 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs. For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit their website.

The Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation is a tax-exempt private foundation governed by a volunteer board of directors. The foundation serves the populations included in the school districts of Chelsea, Dexter, Grass Lake, Manchester and Stockbridge. CWF will grant funds for projects dedicated to creating a culture of wellness and sustainable improvements in health. For more information about CWF, visit their website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.