Wellness, fitness centers slated for Hillsboro
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
Lou Greenhaw is a woman on a mission.
Her goal? To create a healthier Hillsboro.
She and her husband, Steve, are doing just that. They're starting the Greenhaw Wellness Center — an organization that uses high-tech medical machinery to test everything from body mass index to a woman's likelihood to develop osteoporosis.
And the wellness center will soon be joined by a fitness center, to be located in the former post office building on First Street. The fitness center will house cardiovascular exercise equipment and weights.
The details of the fitness center are still in the works, Greenhaw said. She hopes it will open in mid-May.
For now, her goal is to help ordinary Hillsboroans older than 30 get medical testing that could predict — and therefore prevent — future health problems.
To do that, the wellness center has purchased five pieces of equipment. Performing the tests with the equipment will be Jeanne Rziha, wellness center coordinator. Until a week ago, Rziha worked at the Hillsboro Community Medical Center. She's a registered nurse.
Rziha and pharmacist Gina Edwards recently traveled to Gaithersburg, Maryland, for extensive training on the five machines.
The first machine performs a bone-density test to determine a woman's risk of developing osteoporisis.
Edwards saw the value of this test first-hand, when she discovered that she was more susceptible to osteoporosis than she thought.
"I'm already at moderate risk," she said. "I was not aware of that."
The second machine, called "cardiovision," detects the rigidity of the arm's cardiac artery. This helps the patient be aware of heart problems, Rziha said.
The third machine measures a person's resting metabolic rate, determining how many calories he or she burns during a normal day.
The fourth machine analyzes a person's body mass index, determining how much of the body is fat and how much is bone, muscle, and water.
The final machine is the "cholestec," which measures the different kinds of cholesterol in the body.
All the tests are noninvasive except for the cholestec, which requires a drop of blood.
The exact cost of the procedures hasn't been decided yet, but Rziha estimates that each will cost between $30 and $50. Insurance won't cover the cost, she said.
But the center's hope is to reach people before they're actually in dire trouble — it's called preventive health, Edwards and Rziha said.
If a test indicated that a person had more severe problems, they could take that information to their doctor where they'd receive the treatment they needed.
"We hope that the doctors see more people that need to be seen," she said.
The machines are mobile, so they're able to be transported in one of the Greenhaw Pharmacy vans. Rziha hopes that local businesses will be interested in testing their employees, and if so, the equipment can come to them, she said.
The idea of starting a wellness center in Hillsboro has been floating in the minds of Steve and Lou Greenhaw for quite awhile, Lou said. When they heard a presentation from U.S. Wellness, a corporation with wellness programs across the United States, they decided the time was right.
"Somebody needs to be a catalyst," Greenhaw said.
As a small-business owner, the skyrocketing cost of insurance premiums was also a motivation to start the center.
"The earlier you can get (health problems), the cheaper to treat them," Greenhaw said. "We want the community thinking in a wellness concept."
Greenhaw is excited about Rziha coordinating the center.
"I was well aware of her work," Greenhaw said. "She has good enthusiasm."
Once the fitness center is up and running, those who want to join must undergo an initial assessment of their body and goals they want to reach. Rziha and a trainer, as yet unhired, will be part of the program to help patrons lose unwanted pounds.
Both the wellness center and fitness center will be interrelated and share resources and revenue.
The Greenhaws have already put quite a bit of money into this new venture — the five wellness machines cost $50,000, she said.
And although this is a new venture for the Greenhaws, Lou is ready for the challenge.
"Things just fell into place," she said.
For more information about the wellness center, contact Greenhaw Pharmacy at 947-3784.
