Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh officially opens HB4Life Center for caregivers

Dec 14 2009

When the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh's HB4Life (Healthy Behaviors for Life) Center officially opens today, visitors will see a state-of-the-art fitness center for the hospital's caregivers. But they will also see the ongoing contribution to the quality of life for the greater Pittsburgh community of one of Pittsburgh's best-known companies, General Nutrition Centers, Inc., through the GNC Live Well Foundation. The facility will be managed by the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh.

"Working in partnership with the Children's Hospital and the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, we are pleased to be able to help make this dream a reality," said Joe Fortunato, CEO of General Nutrition Centers, Inc. "We share Children's commitment to the health of our children. At the same time, the HB4Life Center supports Children's caregivers in a tangible way that addresses the stress of caring for sick children. In doing so, this facility also provides a world-class facility to help attract and retain the very best team for this important Pittsburgh institution."

The HB4Life Center offers workout areas for group and individual exercise, free weights, circuit training equipment, an evaluation room for fitness consultations, and locker/shower facilities for men and women.

GNC has supported Children's since 2004 through its corporate charitable arm, the GNC Live Well Foundation. Its anchor fundraising event is the GNC Charity Golf Outing, which is sponsored by GNC and organized by GNC employees each fall.

"The new Children's Hospital was designed as a healing environment that enhances the health and well-being not only of our patients, but our caregivers as well. When our employees are healthy, they can focus their attention on helping our patients get better, and an on-site fitness center is a very important part of creating a healthy environment for them," said Christopher A. Gessner, president, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. "We're extremely grateful to the GNC Live Well Foundation for their ongoing support of Children's Hospital and proud to have partnered with them in opening the HB4Life Center."