Community Wellness in Dicksinson, ND

We went for a walk in the morning in Dickinson, ND, before getting in the car for the day. We walked by The West River Community Center and decided to go in and check it out. It made a big impression on me.

The West River Community Center is a 93,000 square foot indoor facility with a huge gym, two pools, a track, basketball courts, raquetball/squash courts, tennis courts, a hot tub, sauna, steam room, yoga studio, spinning class studio, a pool with a current for aqua jogging, a climbing wall, simulated golf range, and child care.

We told the woman at the desk that we just moved there and she gave us visitor passes to check the place out. It was incredibly nice -- modern, clean, with tons of new equipment. It was built by the city and the cost of membership is low -- about half what it costs to join a private gym in Minneapolis. Less even than the YMCA.

It is a great model for a civic wellness and community program. In a way it provides the citizen of Dickinson with subsidized preventitive health care. It got me thinking that more towns and cities should build similar facilities and subsidize the cost of membership for their citizens. It would promote healthy living and community. In fact, I think a portion of the federal stimulus package should go toward building similar facilities across the country. Building the facilities would create jobs and stimulate the economy and benefits would be long lasting in terms of improved health and wellness, which could in turn drive down health care costs.