NEW PALESTINE — Hundreds of people have been flocking to the new Hancock Health wellness center in New Palestine since it opened its doors on Dec. 28.
Joel Hungate, who oversees the three Hancock Health wellness centers in the county, has been thrilled by the turnout at the county’s newest wellness center at Mt. Comfort Road and U.S. 52.
Members were flocking to the health center before the clock on New Year’s resolutions even began.
“We had over 520 visits that day alone, and over the first week we’ve seen over 1,650 visits already,” Hungate said on New Year’s Day.
Response to the wellness center has been overwhelmingly positive, he said.
“Far and away the feedback has been more or less ‘wow,’” Hungate said.
“We’ve received such kind and grateful feedback from the New Pal community and beyond, and we are so excited to serve Hancock County with this immense resource. It truly is one of the largest and most inspiring centers you will find in the nation,” he said.
The New Palestine center joins similar facilities in Greenfield and McCordsville.
The McCordsville and New Palestine wellness centers are part of larger medical facilities that include medical offices as well as the fitness centers.
The medical offices in the New Palestine center opened on Jan. 4.
An official grand opening celebration for the center will take place once pandemic restrictions subside, Hungate said.
While pandemic safety restrictions are in place at the center, he said the turnout is on par with pre-COVID expectations.
“We were bracing for a chilling effect on numbers due to the pandemic, but we’ve been incredibly blessed by the community’s enthusiasm,” he said. “Our membership numbers and visits are very much in line with what was anticipated pre-pandemic.”
Hungate said enhanced distancing, masking, cleaning and sanitation are strictly enforced, and reservations are required for group exercise training and child care to ensure appropriate distancing is maintained.
“Safety of our members and community is priority number one,” he said.
Because the new center is so large — over 52,000 square feet — Hungate doesn’t anticipate hitting a point where capacity restrictions would need to be enforced.
“Right now, we’re focused on maintaining distancing and capacity requirements in specific classes and areas in the wellness center, all of which just depends on where you are and how many are visiting at the same time — but as for the facility itself we have enough space to feasibly accommodate our projected visit volume at any given time,” he said.
