Reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health
From the Show: Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital - Its Your Health Radio
Summary:
Air Date: 6/19/20
Duration: 10 Minutes
Sharlene Duzick covers the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health.
Transcription:
Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome to It’s Your Health Radio with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. I’m Melanie Cole and today, we’re discussing the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health. Joining me is Sharlene Duzick. She’s the Member Services Director for Henry Mayo Fitness and Health. Sharlene, it’s a pleasure to have you join us again. Tell us a little bit about the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health and what steps the club is taking to keep members safe.
Sharlene Duzick (Guest): The club is actually opening up this Thursday which is June 18th. Our club is actually returning to normal standard traffic hours. So, when folks go online and they look, they will find that we have not changed or made any alterations to that. However, in terms of preventative measures, we definitely being affiliated with the hospital and being a medically based fitness center; have quite a few precautionary measures that we have put into place. One is, is that of course, just like a lot of different organizations and companies; we are going to be taking temperatures when folks walk through the door. We have put together plexiglass at the front just to create that division to with staff as well.
Everyone’s required to come in and bring their own masks in and out of the building. We are very cognizant though of the fact that there might be some preexisting conditions or that there might be some challenges with folks wearing those on exercise floor. So, we are allowing the removal of masks on the group exercise floor except for the fact that we are going to be taking quite a note of how close in proximity people are. We have signs throughout the whole building, really putting an emphasis on that distancing side. We’ve moved all of our equipment and spaced it accordingly, so we do have distance between everyone. Every other treadmill or every other elliptical you will have utilization of that. So, that’s how we’re maintaining those proximities too as well.
One of the other things that we’ve put into place on top of that is we have put 13 new hand sanitizer stations throughout the whole building in addition to an abundance of wipes that are alcohol based wipes to make sure that you have access to that to clean all the equipment before and after the workout and then of course, our staff are doing their due diligence that when someone utilizes it we go back and we do it again. So, we’re really, really, really striving on ensuring that we have a safe, healthy and clean facility. We were very good about that to be candid with you even prior to COVID but we even stepped up our measures even more so. We were always very cognizant of that just because we do also deal with an at risk population even prior to COVID. We get transitions from our cardiac rehab. We get transitions from our Sheila Veloz Center which some of those individuals have gone through chemotherapy. So, the building and the measures that we have put into place were pretty strict and stringent to begin with but now obviously, we are even more so. So, those are some of the things that have been put into place.
Host: It’s a very comprehensive approach Sharlene and thank you so much for telling us about those steps. Now what about things like towels, wiping down machines. Who’s wiping – do you want the guests to wipe down their machines when they are done, on the treadmill or one of the weight machines? What about the hand weights? How is all of that working and mats and those things? how are those being sanitized?
Sharlene: We are actually putting a huge responsibility on the members that do come in but we are helping be a part of that solution. So, there are multiple stations which you can access antiseptic wipes and we are encouraging them to wipe the equipment before and after usage. But in addition, our staff are on the top of every hour going back through and cleaning our strength equipment, our cardio equipment and doing their due diligence to help support that and be a part of that solution. So, everything is being put not only in the hands of the employees but putting that emphasis on the due diligence that we expect with our members too as well.
Host: Social responsibility really, and it’s so important for all of us to hear that message and what about things like the locker room, saunas, steam rooms? Are people allowed to use those as of now? Is that coming later? Tell us about that.
Sharlene: One of the other things that we have put into place terms of precautionary measures is we’re trying to gauge what happens and of course when we open back up, I don’t think any gym will always be prepared or equipped with what’s going to happen or take place. So, in order to prevent any situations or challenges, we’re doing a phased roll out. So, when we first open our doors, we will have access to obviously the group exercise floor, or the exercise floor in terms of cardiovascular, strength equipment. We are starting off with just a few group exercise classes in which we are requiring them to register online for so that we can maintain that six feet social distancing within the group exercise class. We have stickers that are put on the floor so folks can be very cognizant of what that looks like for them. And then in addition, when it comes to our locker room and our pool; our showers and our pool are not going to be open for another week. So, we want to see what that foot traffic looks like, what we need to put in in terms of preventative measures, our cleaning schedules, supporting those that are coming through the door with answers, questions. Our towel service will not start back up until July 1st. And that’s just to kind of ease the transition and take note of things that we need to be looking at and if we need to make an adjustments accordingly. So, that’s the blessing is that taking that phased approach is going to give us that leeway to look at some areas of opportunity that we can always improve on too as well.
Host: Very smart. So, what about social distancing? Are you – are there signs? Are you letting people know when they come in? Because people get used to walking up to someone on the treadmill and chatting, you go up to someone whose on the Stairmaster or the elliptical and you start chatting. Are you discouraging this? Are you encouraging social distancing? What about the sort of edict that we are all looking to?
Sharlene: Well one of the things that we have done a little bit differently than some of the other fitness centers is we did not open up right away. Everyone had the opportunity to open up last week and we decided to delay that by a week because we wanted to bring our staff on which we did just the other day. We have walked through the facility and got them acquainted with what we have in terms of signage. So, from the very beginning of when someone walks through the door, you’re going to be signage and an emphasis on the expectation of cleanliness, social distancing and maintaining that. And that’s throughout the entire building. There are signage on the walls. We actually have social distancing stickers throughout the strength and cardio area in addition to the group exercise floor. I mean we definitely wanted to do our due diligence of reminding folks that it’s a necessity at this point in time and especially because we are being supportive of those that may have an preexisting conditions or cannot function with a mask on, that that’s imperative to maintain the health and wellbeing of each other.
Host: And Sharlene, as we wrap up, I’d like you to summarize for us about the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health and a lot of people wonder if COVID can be transmitted through sweat and does it stay long in the air if people are breathing heavily, taking in higher liters of oxygen and you mentioned that maybe they have preexisting conditions, they can’t wear masks. Reassure the public about everything that you are doing to keep all the community and to keep the members safe as you reopen the fitness center.
Sharlene: In regards to COVID, I think that we are always learning new things and understanding new ways that it’s transmitted and what precautionary measures we need to take to ensure the health and wellbeing of anyone. So, with that said, and it’s always evolving, what we can do is always put an emphasis on cleanliness, as well as being mindful of others in the room. If you are number one, taking ownership independently, if you are sick, if you are not feeling well; please stay home and take care of yourself as well as your friends and family by staying home. But in addition, on our side in the hospital, and in the fitness center, we want to emphasize that we have put measures into place in terms of sanitizing, cleaning, conditioning and also putting an emphasis on distancing. All of that is taken into account when you are walking through the building. If one of our staff members come up and ask you to basically position yourself a little differently, please do not take offense to that. We are just trying to maintain the health and wellbeing of those that do come into our building. But again, we have really, really put an emphasis on ensuring that we have multiple locations that will provide you with resources to clean multiple touch points throughout the building. And in addition, are constantly reminding you and you’ll see that in the visual signage that’s out there along with the support of our staff to ensure that distancing and the health and wellbeing of our members coming through the door.
So, with that said, I definitely invite anyone to come into our facility. If they want to see what measures that we’ve put into place, please come and see. We are more than happy to tour you through the facility and showcase a lot of those measures and what we’ve been doing with our staff and educating our staff on how to take care of the health and wellbeing of those that come through our doors.
Host: Thank you so much Sharlene. It’s really great information and so good to hear and telling us what Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and Henry Mayo Fitness and Health are doing to keep the community safe and please visit www.henrymayofitness.org to learn more about the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health. That concludes this episode of It’s Your Health Radio with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital podcasts. For more health tips and updates follow us on your social channels. I’m Melanie Cole.
Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome to It’s Your Health Radio with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. I’m Melanie Cole and today, we’re discussing the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health. Joining me is Sharlene Duzick. She’s the Member Services Director for Henry Mayo Fitness and Health. Sharlene, it’s a pleasure to have you join us again. Tell us a little bit about the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health and what steps the club is taking to keep members safe.
Sharlene Duzick (Guest): The club is actually opening up this Thursday which is June 18th. Our club is actually returning to normal standard traffic hours. So, when folks go online and they look, they will find that we have not changed or made any alterations to that. However, in terms of preventative measures, we definitely being affiliated with the hospital and being a medically based fitness center; have quite a few precautionary measures that we have put into place. One is, is that of course, just like a lot of different organizations and companies; we are going to be taking temperatures when folks walk through the door. We have put together plexiglass at the front just to create that division to with staff as well.
Everyone’s required to come in and bring their own masks in and out of the building. We are very cognizant though of the fact that there might be some preexisting conditions or that there might be some challenges with folks wearing those on exercise floor. So, we are allowing the removal of masks on the group exercise floor except for the fact that we are going to be taking quite a note of how close in proximity people are. We have signs throughout the whole building, really putting an emphasis on that distancing side. We’ve moved all of our equipment and spaced it accordingly, so we do have distance between everyone. Every other treadmill or every other elliptical you will have utilization of that. So, that’s how we’re maintaining those proximities too as well.
One of the other things that we’ve put into place on top of that is we have put 13 new hand sanitizer stations throughout the whole building in addition to an abundance of wipes that are alcohol based wipes to make sure that you have access to that to clean all the equipment before and after the workout and then of course, our staff are doing their due diligence that when someone utilizes it we go back and we do it again. So, we’re really, really, really striving on ensuring that we have a safe, healthy and clean facility. We were very good about that to be candid with you even prior to COVID but we even stepped up our measures even more so. We were always very cognizant of that just because we do also deal with an at risk population even prior to COVID. We get transitions from our cardiac rehab. We get transitions from our Sheila Veloz Center which some of those individuals have gone through chemotherapy. So, the building and the measures that we have put into place were pretty strict and stringent to begin with but now obviously, we are even more so. So, those are some of the things that have been put into place.
Host: It’s a very comprehensive approach Sharlene and thank you so much for telling us about those steps. Now what about things like towels, wiping down machines. Who’s wiping – do you want the guests to wipe down their machines when they are done, on the treadmill or one of the weight machines? What about the hand weights? How is all of that working and mats and those things? how are those being sanitized?
Sharlene: We are actually putting a huge responsibility on the members that do come in but we are helping be a part of that solution. So, there are multiple stations which you can access antiseptic wipes and we are encouraging them to wipe the equipment before and after usage. But in addition, our staff are on the top of every hour going back through and cleaning our strength equipment, our cardio equipment and doing their due diligence to help support that and be a part of that solution. So, everything is being put not only in the hands of the employees but putting that emphasis on the due diligence that we expect with our members too as well.
Host: Social responsibility really, and it’s so important for all of us to hear that message and what about things like the locker room, saunas, steam rooms? Are people allowed to use those as of now? Is that coming later? Tell us about that.
Sharlene: One of the other things that we have put into place terms of precautionary measures is we’re trying to gauge what happens and of course when we open back up, I don’t think any gym will always be prepared or equipped with what’s going to happen or take place. So, in order to prevent any situations or challenges, we’re doing a phased roll out. So, when we first open our doors, we will have access to obviously the group exercise floor, or the exercise floor in terms of cardiovascular, strength equipment. We are starting off with just a few group exercise classes in which we are requiring them to register online for so that we can maintain that six feet social distancing within the group exercise class. We have stickers that are put on the floor so folks can be very cognizant of what that looks like for them. And then in addition, when it comes to our locker room and our pool; our showers and our pool are not going to be open for another week. So, we want to see what that foot traffic looks like, what we need to put in in terms of preventative measures, our cleaning schedules, supporting those that are coming through the door with answers, questions. Our towel service will not start back up until July 1st. And that’s just to kind of ease the transition and take note of things that we need to be looking at and if we need to make an adjustments accordingly. So, that’s the blessing is that taking that phased approach is going to give us that leeway to look at some areas of opportunity that we can always improve on too as well.
Host: Very smart. So, what about social distancing? Are you – are there signs? Are you letting people know when they come in? Because people get used to walking up to someone on the treadmill and chatting, you go up to someone whose on the Stairmaster or the elliptical and you start chatting. Are you discouraging this? Are you encouraging social distancing? What about the sort of edict that we are all looking to?
Sharlene: Well one of the things that we have done a little bit differently than some of the other fitness centers is we did not open up right away. Everyone had the opportunity to open up last week and we decided to delay that by a week because we wanted to bring our staff on which we did just the other day. We have walked through the facility and got them acquainted with what we have in terms of signage. So, from the very beginning of when someone walks through the door, you’re going to be signage and an emphasis on the expectation of cleanliness, social distancing and maintaining that. And that’s throughout the entire building. There are signage on the walls. We actually have social distancing stickers throughout the strength and cardio area in addition to the group exercise floor. I mean we definitely wanted to do our due diligence of reminding folks that it’s a necessity at this point in time and especially because we are being supportive of those that may have an preexisting conditions or cannot function with a mask on, that that’s imperative to maintain the health and wellbeing of each other.
Host: And Sharlene, as we wrap up, I’d like you to summarize for us about the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health and a lot of people wonder if COVID can be transmitted through sweat and does it stay long in the air if people are breathing heavily, taking in higher liters of oxygen and you mentioned that maybe they have preexisting conditions, they can’t wear masks. Reassure the public about everything that you are doing to keep all the community and to keep the members safe as you reopen the fitness center.
Sharlene: In regards to COVID, I think that we are always learning new things and understanding new ways that it’s transmitted and what precautionary measures we need to take to ensure the health and wellbeing of anyone. So, with that said, and it’s always evolving, what we can do is always put an emphasis on cleanliness, as well as being mindful of others in the room. If you are number one, taking ownership independently, if you are sick, if you are not feeling well; please stay home and take care of yourself as well as your friends and family by staying home. But in addition, on our side in the hospital, and in the fitness center, we want to emphasize that we have put measures into place in terms of sanitizing, cleaning, conditioning and also putting an emphasis on distancing. All of that is taken into account when you are walking through the building. If one of our staff members come up and ask you to basically position yourself a little differently, please do not take offense to that. We are just trying to maintain the health and wellbeing of those that do come into our building. But again, we have really, really put an emphasis on ensuring that we have multiple locations that will provide you with resources to clean multiple touch points throughout the building. And in addition, are constantly reminding you and you’ll see that in the visual signage that’s out there along with the support of our staff to ensure that distancing and the health and wellbeing of our members coming through the door.
So, with that said, I definitely invite anyone to come into our facility. If they want to see what measures that we’ve put into place, please come and see. We are more than happy to tour you through the facility and showcase a lot of those measures and what we’ve been doing with our staff and educating our staff on how to take care of the health and wellbeing of those that come through our doors.
Host: Thank you so much Sharlene. It’s really great information and so good to hear and telling us what Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and Henry Mayo Fitness and Health are doing to keep the community safe and please visit www.henrymayofitness.org to learn more about the reopening of Henry Mayo Fitness and Health. That concludes this episode of It’s Your Health Radio with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital podcasts. For more health tips and updates follow us on your social channels. I’m Melanie Cole.
