Lifetime Fitness earns Medical Fitness certification

The Augusta Health Lifetime Fitness Center has earned certification as a Medical Fitness Facility from the Medical Fitness Association. Only 20 of the 1250 medical fitness centers in the country have earned this certification; Lifetime Fitness is the first facility to score a perfect 100 during the certification process. MFA Medical Fitness Center Certification, recognized as a mark of excellence in the health and wellness industry, assures the community of the quality, safety and excellence of the facility and its staff.

“A medical fitness facility is different than a traditional fitness center because it includes more than just exercising and work-out programming,” said Robert Kennedy, MD, medical director of Lifetime Fitness, “A medical fitness facility offers highly qualified and credentialed staff—including physicians, therapists, dietitians and exercise physiologists—who work with members to promote wellness and prevent or treat chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. We hope to prevent complications like heart attacks and reduce the need for prescription medications.”

Key to the success of a medical fitness center is the teamwork of professionals working together to provide a range of strategies and programs to promote health and fitness—not just physical activity, but also nutrition, social interaction and mental health programs—for all ages and stages of life. “The review committee spent two days with us, reviewing our documentation of 150 guidelines, walking around the center, and talking with people to make sure that our day-to-day operations matched what we documented,” said Angela Kaltenborn, coordinator of the certification process. “We had great compliments on our teamwork and staffing. The whole process was a great learning experience for everyone involved.”

“Earning MFA certification has been important to our staff,” added Eric Good, Lifetime Fitness Director. “They’ve worked hard to set Lifetime Fitness apart—it’s not just a place to work out, it’s a place to work on and improve your health and the quality of your life. ”

The MFA, a nonprofit organization founded in 1991, is a professional association dedicated to the medical fitness difference of integrated care as the prescription for better health. MFA serves facilities and professionals who are committed to promoting the benefits of health and fitness programs on lifestyle-related disease and make medical fitness programs and services available within their community. For more information on MFA, visit www.medicalfitness.org.