By Ryan Ding, Staff Reporter
In October 2024, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine received a Medical Fitness Facility Certification from the Medical Fitness Association, becoming the first YMCA in the U.S. to attain this certification. According to its website, the Medical Fitness Association is a health improvement nonprofit that awards certificates to facilities that meet standards in operation and healthcare. YMCA of Greater Brandywine Chief Strategy and Growth Officer Heather Wilson directed the implementation of the certification, and the idea to apply came from YMCA of Greater Brandywine President and CEO Bertram Lawson.
“During my time as president and CEO of the YMCA of Central New York, I was trying to understand ways to expand our services,” Lawson said. “I came across a fellow YMCA in Georgia who had figured out how to work with the state government, and they had some sort of accreditation that was state-related, which led me to have (Wilson) do some research. She came across this entity that certified us to be medical fitness facilities.”
To apply for the certification, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine worked to increase its professional expertise and quality of programs, ensure safety, and create programming to help minimize illness and disease as well as promote better health and wellness across its nine locations in Chester County.
To meet the certification’s requirements, the YMCA of Greater Brandywine underwent a six-month process consisting of extensive audits from the Medical Fitness Association to match 130 criteria across nine categories. Staff evaluated policy and procedures in areas such as training for the health awareness team and safety documents to members.
“Prior to this initiative and the certification, health and wellness was just okay. We had some things that we needed to correct,” Lawson said. “And coming in July of 2023 as the new president and CEO, I evaluated areas of improvement necessary for us to provide the best service overall. It was an operational shift, and there were a lot of conversations and meetings prior to going through the audit to get everyone in alignment.”
The YMCA of Greater Brandywine Fit Truk, while not a requirement for the Medical Fitness Facility Certification, was another step the YMCA of Greater Brandywine took to improve members’ access to health and wellness. YMCA of Greater Brandywine staff run the Fit Truk, which is a truck modified to attach exercise equipment that travels throughout Chester County so that YMCA members who are limited by transportation or distance from YMCA facilities can work out in a more accessible location.
“I think the thing that’s most exciting is to see the excitement on my staff’s faces and to see the excitement of outside stakeholders and our membership,” Lawson said. “When we rolled out the Fit Truk for people to actually see live and in person, they could touch it and feel it and start to really connect the vision to a physical thing and say, ‘Wow, this is going to be really transformational for Chester County.’”
Lawson and leaders of the YMCA hope to continue improving the health and wellness sector, aiming to enhance adaptive disability and younger generation programs. Junior Bradley Zhang, an active member of the Upper Main Line branch of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine and a member of the swim team, appreciates the services the YMCA offers for health and fitness.
“I definitely noticed how the YMCA puts a lot of emphasis on health and wellness (with) all the services they offer. They have a lot of machines and trainers up there to help you,” Zhang said. “I take advantage of the hot tub and the sauna. It’s sometimes the best part of my day.”
Lawson, a stage three cancer survivor, saw that various members of the YMCAs he worked at lacked access to services and tools to navigate through health challenges. Lawson feels that earning the Medical Fitness Facility Certification means a stronger organization to support overall health and wellness, assist members adapting to lifestyle change and provide preventative measures or treatment for disease and illness issues.
“This is a true passion of mine to ensure others get the same level and opportunities to fight chronic disease issues and be preventative as well,” Lawson said. “We saw an opportunity that aligned with the needs of our community and our membership, and we went after it.”
Ryan Ding can be reached at [email protected].
