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January 22, 2013Thibodaux Main Street finds new director
January 22, 2013
Thibodaux Regional Medical Center unveiled plans for its $63 million, 200,000-square-foot wellness center last Tuesday.
“Why a wellness center?” asked TRMC CEO Greg Stock. “Part of our mission is to serve the people of this area and the region at a reasonable cost. We recognized this huge need, and it is growing. We need to focus on adult health issues like obesity, heart disease and diabetes.”
The new facility, expected to open in the summer of 2015, will be located at the corner of Bowie and North Acadia roads. It will feature medically-supervised fitness programs, state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging, the latest in ultrasound technology, an eight-lane competition pool, conference center and an education center for diabetes, nutrition and health management.
“The center will also offer a sports medicine element,” Stock said. “We need to monitor the health of athletes, and we help to serve the 10-to-12 areas high schools. We will look at the effects of dehydration and conduct concussion testing.”
Stock hopes the new center will help to combat some of the area’s disheartening health figures.
“We are No. 49 in the country for health statistics,” Stock said. “We are fourth in the country for cardiovascular disease, and 11.7 percent of the population has diabetes, and the national average is a little over 7 percent. Thirty-seven percent of the five-parish region we serve is obese, and the national average is 27 percent. That is 75,000 people. That is startling in my opinion.
“If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything,” he added.
In addition to improving the health of the local population, the new center will also contribute to the heath of the region’s economy.
“This center will have a $300 million impact on the area and generate about $6 million a year in payroll for its estimated 100 employees,” Stock said.
TRMC board members Jody Plaisance, Cleveland Hill, Jacob Giardina, Danny Cavell and Donald Ayo were also on hand at the unveiling of the wellness center plans.
“This is a step forward, to educate the people,” Giardina said. “It will help the people to take better care of themselves, essentially. I am very happy to be here. This is positive for our community. This will help younger generations and children learn about health care.”
Billy Naquin, physical therapy director at TRMC echoed Giardina’ sentiment.
“The community really needs this,” Naquin said.
Thibodaux Regional Medical Center board members Cleveland Hill, left, Jacob Giardina, TRMC CEO Greg Stock, Jody Plaisance and Danny Cavell gather to announce plans for the hospital’s new wellness center. The new facility, expected to open in the summer of 2015, will be located at the corner of Bowie Road and North Acadia Road
