Creating a Continuum of Care

Lake Nona Performance Center, in Orlando, FL, first opened its doors in July 2021. The 130,000-square-foot facility is the culmination of eight years of planning by parent company Integrated Wellness Partners, based in New Haven, CT, and its investor partner Tavistock Group, of Windermere, FL.

If the name Integrated Wellness name is familiar, it’s because the company operates two Integrative Wellness Centers in Ohio, and one in Illinois.

Offering a Continuum of Care

“The thought behind all of them,” notes Molly Smeltzer, Lake Nona’s director operations, “is that they are medically-based facilities that offer an entire continuum of care for anyone at any level.”

It’s an ambitious goal, but the depth and breadth of facilities and services now offered—and those that will be available soon—support it. Additional plans for the recently opened fitness and wellness center call for a six-story medical building that will house physicians and medical professionals across a wide spectrum, offering

• bariatric,

• lifestyle medicine,

• orthopedics,

• executive physicals and screenings, and

• other specialties and services.

The plan was to open both facilities simultaneously, but—as with many businesses—the pandemic forced a change of course.

“Since we were ready to roll out our community-based programming and facility, we decided to move forward with that,” says Molly.

The fact that Lake Nona’s sister building hasn’t yet opened doesn’t mean that medical services have been shelved. They still have a number of in-house partners that deliver care well beyond fitness and wellness, such as the Hughston Orthopedic Clinic, the Human Performance Lab Precision RX, NESTRE, a neuro-strength training and cognitive training company, and the Deepak Chopra Mind-Body Zone.

Once the medical building opens, which is slated for January 2023, Lake Nona can take the next step forward in its vision for providing care for virtually anyone.

“We want somebody who may be an avid exerciser to come in and be able to find their group exercise classes, the equipment they need, and the space to swim. We also want the young athlete who may have sustained an injury to be able to do their surgery and physical therapy here, and then return to play, strength, and condition here,” adds Molly.

“We want people to feel comfortable going from a bariatric program into our step-down weight management program to become a fully functioning exerciser on their own. We want to provide that support all right here. For members, we want them to have the feeling that ‘my doctor just talked to my therapist, who just talked to my coach, and they’re all on the same page.’ It’s a sense of security that you don’t find anywhere else.”

Apparently, the community is buying in. After just 14 months in operation, Lake Nona has about 9,000 members, including many families.

“Our original, pre-open plan was for about 10,000 members,” Molly says. “Utilization numbers tell us that we’re actually at about the 12,000 to 13,000 range, which works well with our layout and the space we have.”

A Geographical Shift

After focusing on centers in the Midwest, Integrated Wellness Partners decided to move East, establishing its first center on the coast of Florida.

What precipitated the choice of location, Molly says, is simple due diligence.

“Integrated Wellness Partners was looking for an active lifestyle community supported by a strong medical community,” she explains. “They did a lot of surveying and found that the community spanned all age ranges and that there was a strong fitness and wellness component to their regular activities.

“Having partners like the University of Central Florida Medical School and the University of Florida’s Pharmacology School were also big draws. Having Tavistock as a local partner also helped. All in all, it was just a great fit in terms of demographics and available medical and wellness resources.”

Another Valued Partner

It was also important to build a facility that could cater to the needs of a diverse array of potential members.

Lake Nona offers a sprawling, well-equipped facility that includes:

• an aquatics center,

• indoor rock climbing walls,

• a Deepak Chopra Mind-Body Zone and spa,

• a second-floor fitness area with an all-Technogym space, and

• three group exercise studios, including a cycle studio.

The third floor offers an indoor track, turf, weight area, recovery space, basketball courts, a clinical space, and locker rooms.

When it comes to equipment, Integrated Wellness has had a longstanding relationship with Technogym, which is serving Lake Nona well.

Given its target market, the facility’s equipment requirements are varied, with users ranging from a physical therapy patient to professional athlete. Molly notes that Technogym supplies everything from free weights, ellipticals, bikes and treadmills, to selectorized and other equipment geared toward specialized populations, rehab, and everything else that Lake Nona might need.

“Altogether, we have over 200 pieces of Technogym equipment,” Molly says. “That might be impressive, but what really matters to us is the connectivity the equipment brings. Lake Nona is really its own ecosystem. Through Technogym’s MyWellness app, we’re able to monitor equipment use and get a range of reports that help us understand what our members are doing and what they need, it also helps members follow their own fitness and wellness programs and more.”

Essentially, she adds, Lake Nona is a truly unique destination, with myriad, complex requirements.

“It takes a partner like Technogym to help us deliver on that promise of a healthcare continuum, so we’re lucky to have a partner that not only understands our business, but that can deliver what we need at scale,” Molly says.

To learn more about Technogym products and services, visit their website.