Citing budget constraints, the University of Louisville is closing its employee fitness center.
Along with laying off the director of the school’s Get Healthy Now employee wellness program, the move will save the school an estimated $1 million per year. A spokesman for the school said the wellness plan will continue but will be moved under the management of the Human Resources department.
A message to employs said that faculty and staff can get a discounted $15 memberships to Planet Fitness, or join the Student Recreation Center for $24 a month.
According to WDRB.com, the move was announced on the same day the university’s board of trustees raised the compensation of school president Neeli Bendapudi by 12 percent to $875,00 per year.
The school cited an improvement in the school’s finances over a year ago when Bendapudi started.
The full message to the campus about the closing of the facility follows:
Faculty and Staff,
The University of Louisville has reached an agreement with Planet Fitness to extend discount memberships for faculty and staff. Planet Fitness, which has a sponsorship agreement with UofL Athletics, is offering its deluxe membership, known as a “black card,” to UofL faculty and staff for $15 per month, effective immediately. This is a discount of $7.99 per month and is the same fee currently charged to faculty and staff who use the Humana Gym.
The membership includes unlimited visits to any of Planet Fitness’s 1,700 facilities, including the Central Station location; the ability to bring a guest for free and many other benefits. Most clubs are open 24/7. Planet Fitness also offers a $10 monthly plan that is restricted to one facility and offers fewer benefits. For more information on Planet Fitness memberships, go to: https://www.planetfitness.com/gyms/louisville-central-station-ky.
The offer is effective immediately. To sign up, simply go to a local Planet Fitness location and present your UofL ID and checking account information.
Planet Fitness will replace Humana Gym as the “home” facility for Belknap Campus employees. As UofL continues to address its budget issues, closing Humana Gym will save the university more than $1 million per year. Humana Gym will close on June 30. The Health Sciences Center fitness center will remain open and on its current schedule.
Faculty and staff who wish to continue membership in a Belknap Campus facility can join the Student Recreation Center (SRC) for $24/month. For more information, go to: https://louisville.edu/intramurals/memberships/memberships.
Wellness program will continue under HR leadership
The university’s wellness program, Get Healthy Now, has been a very popular benefit for faculty and staff, and the university will continue it under the Human Resources department. Also continuing will be the health management programs in asthma, COPD, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol currently offered through UofL Physicians. Both the wellness and health management programs have been successful in improving employees’ health and driving down the cost of the university’s health insurance plan.
We will provide more information on the location of the wellness programs and on any updates soon.
The Humana Gym location has served the university well. We look forward to continuing to offer these important programs through Human Resources and through our new partnership with Planet Fitness.
