Popular exercise clinic rescued:

A supervised exercise programme some users credit with saving their lives has been rescued by the Midcentral District Health Board.

UCOL has been running the U-kinetics service for referred patients with serious health and rehabilitation issues, but decided not to renew its $150,000-a-year contract with the board beyond the end of the year.

The board has now come up with a six-month interim solution to keep the programme running as Midcentral Kinetics, keeping two of the current staff and leasing the gym equipment, but it still has to find a new venue.

Palmerston North City councillor Lew Findlay has been tireless in singing the programme’s praises, and said it was excellent it would keep running.

Findlay was a client four years ago and it helped him to lose 25 kilograms.

A later ligament injury in his leg saw him stray from the gym and not quite make it back after it healed.

Recent diabetes checks prompted his doctor to advise him to lose weight, so he’s back for another round.

‘‘I go two days a week. They motivate you, they look after you, and make sure you do not overdo things.

‘‘The lives they have saved is just amazing, and I see people there whose lives have totally changed.’’

Another customer, Massey lecturer and consultant in supply chain management Walter Glass, said it was excellent news that the service would continue.

‘‘It’s a unique and stellar service that no-one else in the country has.’’

Glass was first referred to U-kinetics after he suffered damage to his heart, and said U-kinetics helped vastly repair the problems.

Later, he had stents inserted, and returned for further rehabilitation.

‘‘My recovery has been great. I’m absolutely rapt.

‘‘I’m very pleased the district health board is funding it, because the ambulance at the top of the cliff is 10 times better than the one at the bottom.’’

Glass had seen patients with a range of problems, from car crash injuries to diabetes and other chronic conditions, thrive through the programme.

‘‘It is not just like a gym. The level of expertise is significant, and head and shoulders above what the Green Prescription can offer.’’

It was the close monitoring, the blood pressure checks, the assessments, and advice on when to do more and when to stop that gave people confidence to do as much as they could, but no more.

‘‘It’s not competitive, and they carefully match your capability and your progress.’’

UCOL’S reason for pulling out was mainly because low student numbers had made its clinical exercise postgraduate programme not viable, and the course would not be offered again in 2018.

Students on the programme worked in the U-kinetics clinic to gain practical experience.

Midcentral is finalising arrangements for the interim programme that will run from January to the end of June.

It would provide a 12-week supervised programme for those of the 152 people, either on the waiting list or on the programme, whose health needs still warranted enrolment in the service.

Those people would be contacted by the interim providers and informed about where the clinic would be held from January onward.

There would be a tender process to secure a long-term service beyond the middle of next year.