Highland Park prioritizes community health and wellness with the addition of a Priority Health Fitness Court
(Detroit, Mich. – July 21, 2021) Priority Health and the National Fitness Campaign (NFC) are pleased to announce the launch of an outdoor Priority Health Fitness Court® in Highland Park at the Midland Field off Pitkin Street. The Fitness Court will officially be unveiled at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, July 21 at 4 p.m. This launch is a result of the partnership between Priority Health and NFC to expand free access to high quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for communities around the state.
The new Fitness Court is an open-air wellness center that allows users to leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout. Created with adults of all ages in mind, the Fitness Court is adaptable for all fitness levels. New users can also download the free Fitness Court App — a coach-in-your-pocket style platform — that transforms the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness ecosystem. The Fitness Court App is available for iOS and Android.
Highland Park is the second outdoor court in a series of up to 20 Priority Health Fitness Courts that will be constructed in easily accessible public spaces through 2022. NFC's award-winning initiative is now supporting more than 150 cities across America, including cities in Michigan such as Madison Heights, Marysville, Brownstown, Roseville, Garden City and Saginaw.
“The unique part of this project is the community engagement aspect, which is why we are very excited to bring this program and equipment to the residents of Highland Park,” said Highland Park Mayor Hubert Yopp. “National Fitness looks for ambassadors within the community to be trained to run free classes at the site. This helps to facilitate the growth of a healthy Highland Park. This project would not be possible without the generosity of sponsors at Wayne County, Wayne County Parks.”
NFC launched the pilot program in Michigan when Priority Health assisted with funding a Fitness Court on the campus of Oakland University in 2019. Priority Health has also granted Fitness Court funding in Grand Rapids, Redford, Kalamazoo and Lansing.
“We are pleased to join Highland Park and the National Fitness Campaign to officially launch another Priority Health Fitness Court in Southeast Michigan,” said Praveen Thadani, president of Priority Health. “We believe all people deserve the opportunity to live a healthy life and that’s why we’re committed to supporting this partnership to reduce the barriers to free fitness and improve wellness for the neighbors of Highland Park.”
National Fitness Campaign developed the trademarked seven-station system in 2012 hoping to inspire municipalities to transform public spaces into community fitness hubs. There are currently 150 active Fitness Court locations across the country, and the Campaign will reach a total of 250 cities and schools by the end of 2021.
For more information, contact Highland Park Parks and Recreation at 313.580.3208.
About Priority Health:
With over 30 years in business, Priority Health is the second largest health plan in Michigan, offering an extensive portfolio of health benefits options for employer groups and individuals, including Medicare and Medicaid plans. Serving more than 1.3 million members each year and offering a broad network of primary care physicians in Michigan, Priority Health continues to be recognized as a leader for quality, customer service, transparency and product innovation. Learn more about affordable, quality health coverage options from Priority Health.
About National Fitness Campaign:
National Fitness Campaign (NFC) is a social enterprise – founded in San Francisco, California in 1979 – that specializes in funding, activating and promoting healthy infrastructure through partnerships with cities and schools. Now operating in over 150 cities, NFC's unique program delivers consulting services and an integrated wellness initiative to communities, centered on: The Fitness Court®. Our mission is to design healthy infrastructure for cities to improve the quality of life for people. Learn more about National Fitness Campaign and follow us on social @NatFitCampaign.