Novant closes gym at Prince William Medical Center, focuses on coronavirus

Area residents will have to find somewhere else to exercise, as the Prince William Medical Center is closing its onsite fitness center.

“It wasn’t a decision we came to easily,” said Dr. Stephen Smith, President of Novant/UVA Health System for Prince William and Haymarket Medical Centers. “We want to be able to provide resources to the community. We’ve been struggling relative to other alternatives people have with other fitness centers. Post COVID-19, we had to re-evaluate whether the resources we were continuing to put into the gym were able to balance out the greater needs of other services we provide at the hospital that you cannot get elsewhere.”

The closure of the gym in Manassas is due to the hospital’s focus on treating the coronavirus, according to Smith, who emphasized the need for the hospital to be able to provide appropriate levels of acute care services.

“We want to make sure the hospital is prepared and continued readiness during the pandemic is our front of mind issue,” said Smith.

It is unknown if the fitness center will ever reopen to the public, but programs such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, and cardiac therapy will continue to keep it in use. 

“If we have the appropriate amount of resources, we can revisit the gym reopening, but I don’t see it in the short run. I think COVID-19 is going to be with us for quite some time. The new norm is yet to be established,” said Smith

As we move beyond the pandemic, Smith said Novant plans to develop outreach programs around healthy habits along with education on dietary needs and lifestyle modification to keep people in top health conditions.

“If we have the appropriate amount of resources, we can revisit the gym reopening, but I don’t see it in the short run. I think COVID-19 is going to be with us for quite some time. The new norm is yet to be established,” said Smith

Smith said community members have voiced their concerns over the gym closure, but overall, have been very supportive.

“The painful thing is asking the community to be understanding because we want to be able to provide that service. It’s not a lack of desire but rather a lack of feasibility to do it in an efficient manner while we have competing interests of making sure other service lines are robust enough to address the needs of our community,” said Smith. 

While the gym is closed, Novant is open for patients, despite any anxiety people may feel about entering a hospital during the current global pandemic. One option Smith recommends for those that feel anxious about in-person care is telemedicine.

“I fear people have this anxiety about COVID-19 and it’s making them reluctant to seek medical needs. We’re finding that people are coming to the hospital but they’ve delayed seeking care and their conditions are getting worse,” said Smith.

“If you have reservations about coming to the hospital, you can still interface with a provider in the health system. Telemedicine doesn’t address all needs. Sometimes you will need to be seen,” said Smith

Novant Health/UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center is located at 8700 Sudley Road in Manassas.