Public gets first look Charlotte "wellness hub"

Posted: October 24, 2011 - 3:00 PM

CHARLOTTE - By Thanksgiving, Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital's AL!VE will, no doubt, be living up to its name.

A tentative opening date of Nov. 21 has been set by hospital officials for the facility. In its first phase AL!VE will be a 45,000-square-foot endeavor at the former Felpausch grocery store location at 800 West Lawrence Avenue.

The Charlotte hospital's "wellness hub" will offer everything from women's health services to an indoor walking path and health-food cafe.

On Sunday, with the $12.6 million first phase of the project nearly complete, community members got a look at what kind of experience AL!VE can offer.

Charlotte resident Sandy Maatsch was there during the open-house style preview as a volunteer. She answered questions as guests wandered the building and pointed them in different directions as they viewed everything from rock climbing demonstrations to musicians playing and artists at work.

"I see things here today that weren't here on Friday," she said during the event. "It's been exciting watching this take shape."

Lori Pray feels the same way. Her family donated a significant amount to AL!VE's demonstration kitchen in honor of her mother-in-law Lourel Pray, who passed away. Pray said the kitchen, which will offer classes for those learning to make healthier meals, is a fitting tribute to Lourel.

"Her whole life was really centered around being a mother and cooking in the kitchen for her family," said Pray, of her mother-in-law. "The point of the kitchen is to help people learn how to cook for themselves rather than dining out."

AL!VE eventually will be an 80,000-square-foot facility centered on community health and well-being.

Hospital officials need to raise a total of $4 million before AL!IVE's second phase can begin. That will include a conference center and children's programming and child care.

But they are well on their way, having already raised $2.7 million for the project.

Charlotte resident Christie Dutcher has been involved in the hospital's fundraising efforts for the project. She said she saw a great deal of "surprise and awe" Sunday during the community preview. "It really is as great as people hoped it would be," she said, at the event. "I think a lot of people had no idea how amazing it would turn out to be."

Nevertheless, Dutcher said the community has given AL!VE a "swell of support."

Charlotte Mayor Dee Smith, who attended a press event for the building just a few days before the preview, called AL!VE "unique, innovative and inspiring."

Hospital officials have stressed that the facility will be much more than an extension of the hospital's Health and Wellness Center. They said the project is aimed at promoting the community's vitality and wellness.

"The experiences of AL!VE are really what matter," Hayes Green Beach Hospital CEO Matt Rush said. "It's not the building but the experiences of AL!VE that matter."

While some of what is offered at AL!VE, which will include a staff of about 35 people, will be fee-based -- other offerings there will be free and open to the public. That will include the walking path and gathering spaces throughout the building.

Read the LSJ article here.