LifeStyles: A Safe, Clean, Comfortable Experience

We are still awaiting Governor Murphy’s order allowing fitness centers to resume operations, and in the meantime we wanted to share with you our plans to keep LifeStyles safe and clean upon reopening. Valley Health LifeStyles has always been committed to providing a safe and enjoyable medical fitness experience for our members, patients, guests, and staff. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, LifeStyles is recreating that experience with an even greater focus on safety and cleanliness. 

​

We have taken the following measures to ensure that our entire facility represents the New Medical Fitness Difference: Safety, Cleanliness and an Exceptional Wellness Experience!

​

• All staff, members, and visitors entering The Valley Center for Health and Wellness and LifeStyles fitness center will be required to wear a mask in common areas and as required by CDC or state regulations, undergo a temperature check, and complete a symptom questionnaire.

• We have added Plexiglas screens at all member touch points (front desk, fitness desk, cardiac rehab desk) to ensure safe communication between staff, members and guests.

• We will utilize a “Touch Free” check-in process which will include barcode scanners.

• We will use hospital-grade, EPA-registered, CDC-approved sanitizing and disinfecting solutions that kill 99.99% of bacteria and viruses, including COVID-19. Our disinfection process has been developed in conjunction with The Valley Hospital infection control and environmental services teams.

• We will use state-of-the-art technology to disinfect surfaces throughout the facility.         

  • The Victory Electrostatic Sprayer uses electrical charges to efficiently and evenly distribute disinfectant across the surface of given spaces, including the 360 degrees around the grips of equipment. Our staff will use this advanced technology to disinfect the equipment throughout the day.

  • The sprayer will also be used to regularly deep clean high-traffic spaces throughout LifeStyles such as common areas, locker rooms, and rest rooms.

• We will frequently sanitize high-touch surfaces like exercise equipment, door handles, stair railings, lockers, faucets, and more.

• We will shut down the locker rooms at mid-day to deep clean and disinfect. We will perform the same deep cleaning and disinfection procedures after hours as well..

• We have created a “Safety Ambassador” role whereby our own LifeStyles staff members will be circulating throughout LifeStyles to monitor the sanitization of equipment and member compliance with wiping down equipment before and after use. They will also perform spot sanitizing and disinfecting of equipment and will enforce safe physical distancing guidelines.

• Our facility cleaning staff’s schedules have been updated to provide additional coverage throughout the day. They will be more highly visible and will be regularly sanitizing common areas, circulating hourly through locker rooms to sanitize and clean in that space, and actively cleaning throughout LifeStyles during our hours of operation.

• We have created “sanitizing stations” throughout the facility, which includes increasing the number of wall-mounted alcohol-based hand sanitizers and adding sanitizing-wipes dispensers and/or additional spray bottles near all exercise equipment.

• We have adapted a “Clean-IN, Clean OUT” policy for all LifeStyles staff, members, patients, and guests.

  • Everyone will be required to stop at a designated Hand Sanitizing Station upon entering LifeStyles while moving between exercise units, and when leaving through any doorway.

• We are adjusting the fitness floor to ensure physical distancing between machines, and we have designated a specific area of the main fitness floor for high-intensity workouts.
   

Valley Health LifeStyles is a highly regarded S.A.F.E. (Safety, Accountability, Fortitude, Empathy) fitness center, providing the highest medical fitness industry and healthcare facility standards of care and customer service.

​

Staying Clean and Safe: Knowing the Difference between Cleaning Standards

​

There is a difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting:

​

Cleaning: Removes soil, dirt, and debris from surfaces but does not kill microorganisms.  Soap, when cleaning your hands, acts as a surfactant to lift microorganisms so they can be rinsed away.

​

Sanitizing: Kills a high percentage (99.9%) of microorganisms on surfaces to a safe level recognized by the EPA, but it does not eliminate the occurrence and growth of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

​

Disinfecting: Kills at a higher percentage (99.999%) of microorganisms on surfaces.  Disinfecting uses an EPA-registered product with specific contact time (one to 10 min.) to kill harmful microorganisms and reduces their occurrence and growth.