Medical Fitness Professionals Gather to Prepare for 2009

LYNNE JETER

Medical Fitness Professionals Gather to Prepare for 2009 | Medical fitness, 14th Annual Medical Fitness Association (MFA) Conference, Kristina Ripatti, NuStep, Medical Fitness Week, Robert Gotlin, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Lynne Jeter

Paralyzed LAPD Veteran Steals Show with Remarkable Fitness Journey to Recovery


Medical fitness professionals attending the 14th Annual Medical Fitness Association (MFA) Conference were deeply moved by the remarkable fitness journey to recovery shared by Kristina Ripatti, a 10-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department who was injured in the line of duty and subsequently paralyzed.

"I was amazed at the strength and hope that Kristina displays," said Steve Sarns, vice president of sales and marketing for NuStep, Inc. After seeing her success using the company's fitness equipment, NuStep signed Ripatti as a spokesperson. "Kristina was encouraged by the people in the medical fitness industry who helped her. Our hope is that members are inspired to offer accessibility and accessible equipment such as NuStep that helped Kristina to succeed."

The MFA conference, sponsored by Life Fitness, was held in conjunction with the Athletic Business Conference in December at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. Attendees from across the United States representing all industry segments and the nation's leading fitness center directors and managers explored hot-button topics such as facility certification, disease management, program planning and executive leadership.

"This year was very successful," said Nancy Dostal-Hoyt, director of Mercy Fitness Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "I came back with some wonderful information, and invigorated again."

Deborah Riggs, general manager of TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion in Cincinnati, Ohio, said her TriHealth team "had a wonderful time and gathered tons of information and new-found knowledge to share with staff and members."

During the awards ceremony, MFA leaders presented achievement honors to industry professionals who made significant contributions to the medical fitness industry in 2008. They also highlighted winners—the top two representing the Deep South—from the "Steppin' Out…for a Lifetime" national walking challenge. The national walking event, MFA-sponsored, served as an integral part of Medical Fitness Week.

"The response to the challenge was incredible, with an average number of steps logged per walker of 51,529 over the seven-day contest," said MFA executive director Cary Wing, noting that some 9,000 participants took nearly 450 million steps.

Among the highlights:
  • North Mississippi Health Services in Tupelo, Miss., received the top award for total steps.
  • Vanderbilt Dayani Center for Health & Wellness in Nashville, Tenn. reported the highest number of steps per person for the second consecutive year.


During the conference, the MFA, the only organization dedicated to the medical fitness difference and integrated care as the prescription for better health, released an expanded edition of the Facility Standards and Guidelines for Medical Fitness Center Facilities. The 2009 edition features a set of nationally derived parameters that are applicable to the design and operation of a medical fitness center, which encompass the new MFA facility certification.

"The MFA certification process, launched this past July, is an important step in ensuring that facilities provide the quality and safety of the programs and services that are necessary to meet the vital role that medical fitness centers perform," said Wing, adding the publication also includes sample job descriptions, a facility certification checklist, policies and procedures, and industry resources.

In October, on the heels of the launch of the first-ever government issued 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, the MFA made headlines by opening its facility certification program to all medical fitness facilities, regardless of MFA affiliation.

The MFA made this decision, noted Cary, to provide a mechanism for all health and fitness facilities to benchmark their programs and services against standards and guidelines designed specifically for medically integrated fitness centers.

"Certified medically integrated fitness centers have the professional expertise and programming necessary to safely and effectively assist all people, regardless of their current health status, to develop, initiate and maintain an active lifestyle that minimizes risk and promotes health and wellness," said MFA chair-elect Brad Roy, vice president and administrator at Kalispell Regional Medical Center and The Summit in Kalispell, Mt. "The MFA seal of approval assures consumers the facility has met the highest quality standards and will offer them appropriate and effective fitness/wellness programming by qualified staff."

A keynote speaker at the conference, Robert Gotlin, director of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical, and host of an ESPN radio show on sports, health and fitness, spoke about a variety of health issues and how to integrate them into a client's game plan.

"With the dynamic changes that the healthcare industry is facing, the MFA has the tools and the vision to not only face these challenges, but to achieve success," emphasized Gotlin.

MFA members will return to Central Florida for the 2009 annual conference, slated Dec. 2-5 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

"This will be a special anniversary year," said 2009 conference chairperson Jennifer Hopper, manager of Piedmont Hospital Health and Fitness Club in Atlanta. "I look forward to a conference that reflects the growth and necessity of medical fitness, and supports continued growth for future generations."

For more information on MFA events and programs, visit www.medicalfitness.org.