Fitness & Exercise Opportunities for Wheelchair Users in Santa Cruz County

Arash and Nick from NorCal SCI meeting with Karen Nauenberg (PT) and Roger McKowan from Dignity Health, Santa Cruz.

NorCal SCI recently made a trip to visit Dignity Health’s Community Health & Wellness Program, PEP in Santa Cruz. The brand new center is located a couple blocks from the beach and provides an opportunity for individual exercise, group classes, support groups, and other health and fitness resources.

For people with a SCI or other wheelchair users, there is a small but very well-equipped gym with adaptive exercise equipment (e.g. Nustep, Standing Frame, Hand Cycle, etc.) as well as free weights, a cable machine, and plenty of other options for a solid workout. Workout slots have to be booked ahead of time but that means there is always someone in attendance to help with getting on or off of a specific machine or providing other assistance.

Adaptive open gym with lots of workout equipment and a staff member on-hand for assistance

The center also hosts regular classes, many of which are geared towards individuals with disabilities, as well as events, support groups, and other resources for local residents. If you live in Santa Cruz County, consider checking them out!

Our friend Roger McKowan who runs the monthly Life on Wheels Support Group can provide more info and answer any questions about the center’s programs. Even if you are not part of The Dignity Health Network, we would recommend getting in touch with Roger to see what programs you could potentially benefit from.

For more info, check out the links above, read their e-brochure, or reach out to Roger at: roger.mckowan@commonspirit.org

A special thank you to Karen Gosling, Karen Nauenberg and Roger McKown at Dignity Health for the work they do supporting the SCI Community.