Hospital-affiliated gyms are growing in popularity, according to an article on The Kansas City Star website. Health-facility-affiliated gyms are generally more costly than some commercial gyms, but members value the connection with healthcare professionals.
A greater interest in community health is driving a lot of health networks to open public gyms, Julie Kissinger, spokeswoman for The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, said in the article.
Health staff expertise is what separates health network gyms from commercial gyms, according to John Graham, St. Luke's director of sports and human performance.
While commercial gyms have 30 percent to 40 percent retention rates, hospital gyms retain between 60 percent and 90 percent of their members, Graham said.