The Reh-Fit—A Certified Medical Fitness Facility

The Reh-Fit has been recognized as a certified medical fitness facility by the Medical Fitness Association. The designation assures members and the community at large that the Reh-Fit meets the highest global standards for programs, staff, safety, and community service.

As a certified medical fitness facility, we offer a range of features that distinguish us from our counterparts in the commercial fitness industry.

Credentialed and Licensed Staff

• We employ more than 50 staff in medicine, nursing, kinesiology, physiotherapy, nutrition, psychology, and laboratory services to support, guide, and inspire more than 6,000 visitors to the Centre each year.
• With our trained staff and emergency equipment, we can deliver a timely and appropriate response to any emergency event that threatens the health and safety of facility users. Our professional staff, who are scheduled throughout the week at the Centre, are trained in basic first aid and life support skills, and certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of the automated external defibrillator. They are also annually recertified in CPR and AED, and take part in regular emergency training drills. The Centre is equipped with four semi-automated external defibrillators, ready for immediate use in case a person suffers a cardiac arrest.
• Policies and procedures for ensuring user safety and responding appropriately to all emergencies have been documented for the Centre.

Individualized Pre-Activity Screening and Health and Fitness Assessment

• Membership at the Reh-Fit begins with a health and fitness assessment, delivered by our trained and certified staff. It includes analyses of body composition, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, functional movement, as well as a blood analysis of lipid levels, fasting blood sugar, and hemoglobin.
• Higher risk members benefit from the supervision of physicians during their health and fitness assessments.
• Drawing on the results of each member’s assessment, certified medical, fitness, and therapy professionals work with the member to shape a personal program designed to help reach his or her health and fitness goals.
• Results of each member’s assessment are sent to their family physician so that together we form a collaborative health and fitness team for optimum attention to the health and well-being of each member.

Disease Management and Prevention Programs

• We offer more than 60 programs and services designed to manage and prevent chronic disease, and identify, manage, and reduce health risks.
• Our Cardiac Rehabilitation program has been saving and enhancing the lives of more than 600 individuals with heart disease every year since 1979. Through 16 weeks of exercise and education, the program prevents, stabilizes, and in some cases reduces or eliminates risk factors for heart disease.

Clinical Integration

• As a clinically integrated operation, we offer a variety of other specialized health services. Improve Your Balance and Mobility is a falls prevention program for those who are looking to improve their balance and prevent falls. The program is also targeted towards those recovering from a stroke, or those with neurological disorders. Stroke Exercise is a supervised program of exercise for those who want to reduce the risk of another stroke or a cardiovascular event. The First Steps program is designed for those at risk of developing a chronic disease. Healthier Weigh is a weight-loss program for those whose health is threatened because of a body mass index of 30 or greater.
• The Centre serves as a research setting for staff, medical students, and visiting professionals. Recent examples of health and wellness research include: determining whether participation in our Cardiac Rehabilitation program before surgery reduces anxiety and speeds recovery; placing kinesiologists in physician’s offices to encourage those referred by their physician to get active by preparing for them a tailored exercise program prescription; and testing whether performing visual tracking tasks while watching a computer monitor and walking on a treadmill improves quality of life for older adults with a history of falls.

A Focus on Improving Community Health

• We present community health education seminars, and offer community educational events, such as Activity Aging Week, Smart for Your Heart Month, and Exercise Is Medicine Month.
• We are linked to St. Boniface Hospital to improve the quality of healthcare in Manitoba by partnering in health research projects, developing training opportunities for professional staff growth, and expanding appropriate patient education and public health promotional materials.
• We have formed partnerships with more than a dozen local organizations to offer specialized healthy living services we could not otherwise offer as effectively on our own. Recent partnerships have been formed with the Alzheimers Society of Manitoba, the Arthritis Society, CancerCare Manitoba, Creative Retirement, the MS Society, and the Osteoporosis Society.
• Our staff deliver key lectures and make presentations to organizations that share our commitment to community wellness. They deliver lectures on cardiac health at personal care homes, offer clinics and presentations on blood pressure for students studying in related fields, and present health and wellness educational seminars tailored to the needs of businesses, organizations, and groups.
• We hold annual events that promote healthy living for members and the community at large. One is the annual Healthy Living Awards, which celebrates exemplary contributions to building community healthy by individuals and groups across the province. The event features a keynote speaker who delivers timely health and medical news and information. The second is the annual Walk of Life & Health Fair, which enhances awareness of heart disease. The event is enhanced by a health fair where attendees can visit health and wellness booths and talk to on-site experts. The third is Zumba^® Parties, a mass fitness event held twice a year at the Centre. Zumba^® is a dance-aerobics workout that gives enthusiasts a chance to get some exercise while having fun.

State-of-the-Art Exercise Equipment

• We attract members and the community at large with more than 800 pieces of the latest exercise equipment. Recent additions include Gravity Training System Machines, a new approach to core training for people of any age and fitness level. Some equipment was selected for its accessibility for those with physical limitations.

Active and Regular Medical Oversight

• The Centre’s employs a medical advisor, a doctor who is responsible for making sure that our medical protocols—guidelines for the staff to follow in medical emergencies—are up-to-date.
• We have a small treatment room for conducting blood pressure checks, EKGs, and other tests in non-life-threatening situations.
• Physicians are on duty at the Centre in the mornings, from Monday to Friday, when they supervise stress tests for those individuals at higher risk to begin an exercise program.

We also are committed to the following:

• To ensure that we maintain a high level of integrity, best practices, and innovation, we enjoy professional memberships and affiliations with standards-setting health and fitness organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine, Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation, International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, Manitoba Exercise Professionals Association, and the Medical Fitness Association.
• We encourage healthy living by providing financial assistance for some members and admitting free of charge support persons for those who need them.
• Members may put their membership on hold for significant medical reasons at no charge, for between 4 and 16 weeks.