GREENFIELD — The new wellness center in McCordsville isn’t expected to open until December, but eager residents can sign up for memberships starting next week.
The center, which serves as a satellite of Hancock Wellness Center in Greenfield, will offer fitness classes and workout equipment for area residents, as well as physical therapy and rehabilitation services to clients with medical needs.
Beginning May 29, Hancock Wellness Center employees will set up shop at the site of the existing center, 8505 N. Clearview Drive, to sell memberships.
Existing Hancock Wellness members automatically have access to both facilities.
Initially, officials hoped the center would open this fall, but winter weather delayed the project’s progress.
Officials said they hope the new facility will spark healthy living and general wellness in the northwest portion of the county.
Hancock Regional Hospital already has a hub of medical offices, which will connect to the wellness center, near the site of the new building.
David Flench, director of Hancock Wellness Center, said progress on the building has boomed in the past few weeks.
A long winter and rainy spring delayed work, but Lauth Group — the construction company contracted to build the new facility — is making up some time, he said.
Planning for the new facility began three years ago, and officials hope to get keys to the new building Dec. 17. A grand opening for the public has not yet been set, but officials hope to welcome guests before the start of the new year.
The hospital has a mission to serve the entire county, so as McCordsville grew, officials saw the need for a new center, he said.
Since then, that side of the county has continued to grow. Housing developments surrounding the site of the new fitness center have grown in recent years, Flench said.
The new fitness center will feature many of the same amenities offered at the Greenfield facility, but a second swimming pool and café have officials excited to promote the McCordsville facility.
It will have two swimming pools. One will be heated to 90 degrees and used for warm-water therapy. The other is a regulation-length lap pool.
The Health Hut Cafe will serve healthy snacks, smoothies and made-to-order sandwiches.
A second-floor walking track will occupy some of the upstairs space.
Because the center will be a medical fitness center, it also will offer physical therapy and cardiac rehabilitation.
Those services set the fitness center apart from commercial gyms, Flench said.
“It’s the true medical fitness model,” he said.
David Norris, director of rehabilitation and respiratory services, said having physical therapy in the wellness center allows his office and the wellness center to integrate well.
An exercise specialist and physical therapist can work together to offer maximum care for the patient, he said.
“That integration and the ability to work across the continuum of a client or patient is really a positive aspect,” he said.
Having that integration in two places in the county is convenient for clients, he said.
Norris said many residents likely don’t want to drive 20 to 25 minutes to work out or attend physical therapy.
Having locations in Greenfield and McCordsville will make the trip less of a burden for many in the community, he said.
The new wellness center will hire about 30 to 40 staff members.
Flench said he’s excited for the fitness center to open in McCordsville, and he’s looking forward to seeing the difference it could make there.
“We feel we’ve really made a big impact on Greenfield, and we can expand our reach,” he said. “That’s what’s really exciting.”
Hospital administrators said the new wellness center will help the hospital perform its mission.
Placing wellness centers near medical offices is purposeful, chief operating officer Rob Matt said.
“The future of health care is all about prevention and helping people stay healthy instead of waiting for them to be ill,” he said.
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Hancock Wellness Center in McCordsville isn’t expected to open until December, but employees will start selling memberships next week.
The address of the new wellness center is 8505 N. Clearview Drive, where memberships will be sold beginning May 29.
The memberships will be sold from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.
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