At the Crossroads: Medicine and Fitness Merges
A new idea has emerged from the ever-churning cauldron of the wellness revolution. Get your mind around this one and you’ll glimpse a vision that just might change our concept of what it means to go to the doctor and get a prescription.
The originator of this vision is our very own Jay McNabney, owner of Family Sport and Fitness in San Jacinto and Powerhouse Gym in Temecula. Jay has been developing a new concept that combines a medical facility and a fitness center, and he is building it right here in our back yard. It is the San Jacinto Medical Center, located next door to Family Sport and Fitness in San Jacinto and scheduled to open around February 1, 2007.
What do medical centers and fitness facilities have to do with each other? Traditionally, not much. Jay McNabney is now bringing them together in ways that create a very interesting win/win. Here’s the scenario:
Insurance companies like Blue Cross/Blue Shield have learned through research that for every dollar they spend on wellness plans, they save $2.51. Apparently, investing in wellness and prevention actually does save in medical costs down the road. So, imagine the following: you go to your doctor for a physical or check up. Your doctor notices that “extra padding” you seem to have acquired around your waist and she suggests that you may need get into better shape if you want to maintain optimal health. She then “prescribes” personal training and a membership at the health club located next door. This of course, is all covered in your health insurance plan! You walk out of the doctor’s office and right into the gym to begin your own personal wellness revolution.
According to Jay McNabney, this is a reality that begins on February first. The 28,000 sq/ft. San Jacinto Medical Center will be a full service inpatient and outpatient care center with a full medical staff and urgent care center. The center will also house orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists and use the 1.2 million dollars in weight training equipment at Family Sport and Fitness to provide physical therapy service. A full service imaging center, including MRI and CAT scans are also included. McNabney will also be looking for practitioners of alternative medicine to complement his staff. Overall, this center will support approximately 200 employees.
This approach that combines fitness and medical treatment is on the cutting edge. This particular center is the first of its kind and magnitude anywhere in America, according to McNabney. Medical care and fitness training “all under one roof” is akin to the combination of one-hour photo shops, pharmacies and grocery shopping. “You used to have to make three stops to get your groceries, prescriptions and photos. Now you can get them done all in one place. We are creating a similar environment that addresses all of your health concerns in a single location” said Jay.
Most of all, it is the investment of the doctors and insurance companies in fitness that impresses me. And pioneers like Jay are bringing this investment home to us. I think facilities like the San Jacinto Medical Center will lend credibility to the wellness movement in the eyes of average consumers. Your doctor prescribes it. Your insurance company pays for it. Any other questions? Deep down, you already know what you need to do anyway – get in shape! Now you have some serious backing.