The only thing better than a cure is the ability to stop the disease or injury before it happens – and the first step of prevention is assessing one’s current health.
With the opening of the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center staff, in coordination with Healthy New Albany and Akron-based Integrated Wellness Partners, aims to prevent future health-related problems for community members beginning with strategic and thorough body assessments.
“The current health care system model is broken and people want to keep healthy just by treating diseases,” says Tom Caldwell, administrator of sports medicine and ambulatory services for the Wexner Medical Center. “For us, the (Philip Heit) Center is exciting because it really is our lab for changing how we practice medicine, and the focus on prevention could shape how medicine may be practiced with implementation of the Affordable Care Act.”
Included in the fitness center’s body assessment program are musculoskeletal screenings, cholesterol and glucose level testing, and a cardio-respiratory fitness exam to determine exercise tolerance.
Perhaps the greatest tool for analysis is the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner, officially named the Lunar iDXA. The machine operates like a CT scan and measures bone-mineral density and body fat composition. The scanner emits a small amount of radiation, less than a person is exposed to on an airplane ride, Caldwell says.
“The iDXA is truly the gold standard in terms of measuring body composition and bone health,” he says.
To prevent any possible further damage, skeletal condition will be closely examined as a part of enrollment in the fitness portion of the center.
Another part of the intake assessment is the Functional Musculoskeletal Screen.
“FMS has been used in research for high-level groups, like players in the National Football League, but we want to find what’s right for the average person,” Caldwell says.
“We can help find issues someone has had in the past that they may have not known about,” Caldwell says. “We want to avoid any problems that may prevent you from being successful in your program. (A member in a traditional fitness setting) may get discouraged because of pain, but we have professionals structuring the program to alleviate that problem before it even starts.”
When a new member is first enrolled, he or she will undergo preliminary testing. If he or she has recently completed these tests, that information can be used instead of undergoing new trials.
The tests and screenings give benchmark statistics. A year later, staff will test the member again and compare the numbers.
“The screening process helps us get people on the track that’s best suited for them and what they want,” Caldwell says. “We will have a designated professional managing each personal case.”
Buckey
e Coaching Packages – the types of programs that members can follow – include weight management, cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal health and basic health.
A psychoanalytic exam is also administered as part of the preliminary testing phase. The exam, a behavioral assessment, helps gauge motivation levels of each member.
“We have to use different tactics based on each person’s willingness to change and exercise,” Caldwell says. “Some people are classified as ‘pre-contemplators.’ They’re not sure if they want to do it, but they sort of want to. They may join and drop out normally, but we’ll assess where they are and keep them from feeling intimidated. Most facilities don’t do this.”
Combining fitness and medicine is a tactic unique to the Philip Heit Center, and the strategy should yield positive results, says Dan Like, executive director for ambulatory services for the Wexner Medical Center.
“As someone who enjoys working out and has been to a few different gyms, what strikes me as strange is when you go in and start as a new member, there’s always a disclaimer about pre-existing conditions, telling you to consult the doctor,” he says. “Well, we are the doctor. We will provide the individual’s information and take the disclaimer out.”
That personal touch will be key to the fitness center’s success, he says.
“The focus is on personalized health care and trying to be as individualized as possible,” Like says. “No one else is really doing that.”
Each unique workout regimen will become a member’s “prescription” for positive physical health. Plans aim for heart rate improvement, among other individual goals, and progress will be accurately tracked.
In the past, fitness specialists would use an overarching range of heart rate goals for groups of people based on age, gender and other criteria, but now, specific heart rate targets can be established for each individual, Caldwell says.
The contribution and effort from both sides – members and staff – will help keep each party accountable.
“It’s the right combination of investment,” Caldwell says. “You’re putting some skin in the game, and that’s your ‘co-pay.’ We invest in (members) with all of our resources.”
The Philip Heit Center is slated to open in January 2015.
“This is tremendously exciting,” Like says. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The program is unique, but the partnership with the city, Healthy New Albany, city employers and Nationwide Children’s Hospital is what will truly set this apart and make it a long-term asset to the community.”
Stephan Reed is an editorial associate. Feedback welcome at laurand@cityscenemediagroup.com.
