Ohio's Akron General Health System has opened three medical fitness centers that bring together outpatient services, a stand-alone emergency department, radiology, sports medicine, physical therapy, orthopedics and cardiac rehab, and aqua therapy, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website.

Akron's centers have hundreds of pieces of cardiovascular and weight-lifting equipment, an indoor lap pool and warm water pool, a gymnasium, indoor and outdoor running tracks, a youth fitness area, exercise studios and an indoor rock climbing wall.

The creation of accountable care organizations and other efforts to improve population health have spurred many health systems to seek solutions outside the traditional “sick care” model, the article said.

The Medical Fitness Association and other sources say that the number of centers has grown from 79 in 1985 to 1,284 in 2014.

Akron General also partners with real estate developers to help finance and build the projects for clients interested in that help. 

Read the article.