HOLLAND, Mich. — Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital has partnered with the Holland Community Aquatic Center to offer rehabilitation services on the lakeshore.
It’s all part of the center’s $26.3 million renovation project.
“Our tagline is 'Every family, every age, every day,'” said the aquatic center's Executive Director, Jack Huisingh.
The center is getting closer to making that statement a bigger reality, thanks to a passed bond proposal to expand and renovate the facility in 2019.
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“It’s going to allow us to really broaden the capabilities of wellness and holistic health in Holland,” Huisingh said.
He added that the three-phase project includes a special area designated for water rehabilitation through Mary Free Bed.
Tom Fowler, the director of outpatient services for Mary Free Bed, said, “Initially we will start with some musculoskeletal type of programming, back pain, arthritis, muscle strains, sprains.”
Fowler explained that the benefits of warm water therapy can help all kinds of patients, from those suffering with acute injuries from accidents to those with chronic pain.
“The buoyancy of water takes away some of the stress on the joints, stress on the muscles; the water helps circulation and muscles relax, so people will be able to start rehabilitation quicker, which is really an advantage,” Fowler said.
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Patients will also be able to use the center's new fitness spaces, indoor track, and private treatment rooms. Mary Free Bed and the Aquatic Center feel it will be a true asset on the lakeshore.
“With therapy, a lot of times you are seen two to three times a week, and so for people to have to drive to Grand Rapids for that service, that doesn’t make sense. We’d like to have them do it in their community,” Fowler said.
Phase 2 of the expansion and renovation will wrap up in January 2022, which will help them focus even more on fitness and wellness.
The whole project is something Huisingh hopes makes their community gem even more special.
He said, “Now when we put that into a beautiful facility, where people can move from one area to another and utilize the different services every day, whether you’re very young or part of our aged community, we want you to be able to do that every day in this facility and do it together all year round.”
Mary Free Bed's services begin in May, and their services are there for anyone to use.
Phase 1, which focuses on the education and swimming lesson area, is already complete.
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