Community invests in wellness with Priority Health Fitness Court®

Community invests in wellness with Priority Health Fitness Court®

Published on August 11, 2022

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The City of Grand Rapids, Priority Health and the National Fitness Campaign (NFC) today officially opened an outdoor Priority Health Fitness Court® at an Ottawa Hills Park ribbon cutting ceremony. The project, made possible thanks to the statewide partnership between Priority Health and NFC, expands free access to high-quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise.

The new Fitness Court at Ottawa Hills Park, 2060 Oakfield Ave. SE, is an open-air wellness center that allows users to leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout. Created with adults of all ages in mind, the Fitness Court is adaptable for all fitness levels. It can also be used in group or solo settings with local volunteer ambassadors leading classes for groups. New and solo users can also download the free Fitness Court App - a coach-in-your-pocket style platform - that transforms the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness ecosystem. The Fitness Court App is available for iOS and Android.

"A healthy and active community is core to our mission," David Marquardt, the City's parks and recreation director, said. "Strategic partnerships like this help us continue to bring unique and innovative amenities to our park system."

"We are pleased to partner with the City of Grand Rapids Recreation Department and the National Fitness Campaign to open another Priority Health Fitness Court," Praveen Thadani, president of Priority Health, said. "We believe all people have the right to a healthy life and that's why we're committed to investing in the community to help reduce barriers to free, accessible fitness and improve wellness for the neighbors of Grand Rapids."

Grand Rapids is home to the first outdoor court in a series of at least 18 Priority Health Fitness Courts being constructed in easily accessible public spaces. The generosity of additional sponsors, including Meijer and Grand Rapids Public Schools, made the project at Ottawa Hills Park possible. NFC's award-winning initiative is now supporting more than 150 cities across America, including cities in Michigan such as Madison Heights, Highland Park, Lansing, Big Rapids, Traverse City and Saginaw.

National Fitness Campaign developed the trademarked seven-station system in 2012 to inspire municipalities to transform public spaces into community fitness hubs. There are currently 250 active Fitness Court locations across the country, and the Campaign will be operating in over 1,000 cities and colleges by the end of 2022.

For more information, visit The City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation's website at grandrapidsmi.gov/parks, or contact the department at 616-456-3696 or [email protected].

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About Priority Health:

With over 30 years in business, Priority Health is the second largest health plan in Michigan, offering an extensive portfolio of health benefits options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Serving more than one million members each year and offering a broad network of primary care physicians in Michigan, Priority Health continues to be recognized as a leader for quality, customer service, transparency and product innovation. Learn more about affordable, quality health coverage options from Priority Health.

ABOUT NFC:

National Fitness Campaign (NFC) is a social enterprise - founded in San Francisco, California in 1979 - that specializes in funding, activating and promoting healthy infrastructure through partnerships with cities and schools. Now operating in over 150 cities, NFC's unique program delivers consulting services and an integrated wellness initiative to communities, centered on the world's best outdoor gym: The Fitness Court®. Our mission is to design healthy infrastructure for cities to improve the quality of life for people. Learn more about NFC at NationalFitnessCampaign.com and follow us on social @NatFitCampaign.

ABOUT THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS:

The city of Grand Rapids is a diverse and culturally rich community of 200,000 residents located along the banks of the Grand River, 30 miles east of Lake Michigan. Grand Rapids is the second-largest city in Michigan. It serves as the county seat of Kent County and is the economic engine for the western part of the state. Grand Rapids provides a full range of services to residents, businesses and visitors. The city has been recognized nationally for its quality of life and is considered one of the 25 best places to live in the U.S. It also has been touted among the best cities to start a career, raise a family and retire, among many others. Stay connected with City news, events and information at grandrapidsmi.us, facebook.com/CityofGrandRapids, twitter.com/CityGrandRapids and instagram.com/citygrandrapids.

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