Healthcare providers in Greenville prescribing exercise to patients

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Doctors prescribe medicine and give advice about how to live a healthy life. But now some doctors and healthcare providers are taking it one step further and also prescribing exercise.

Eddy Kicker says he works out a lot more often than he used to. It all started when a friend told him about the Physician Referred Exercise Program, also known as P.R.E.P., through Bon Secours at Sportsclub Greenville.

“We both [my wife and I] recently retired,” Kicker said. “We wanted fitness at the front of our minds so that we could keep traveling and do the things we wanted to do.”

He has five grandchildren and hoped to improve his strength and mobility. He says he has used gyms in the past, but he was never committed.

“I wanted somebody to actually show me how to use weights,” Kicker said. “I was actually a member of this gym 15 years ago and since nobody showed me the way I just kind of faded away.”

The program lasts for 60 days and includes two sessions a week with a medical fitness professional, a customized exercise program based on health history and more. Bon Secours Physical Therapist Scott Carley leads the program.

“It’s very traditional for the healthcare system to prescribe medicine, but if we are not backing that up with good healthy habits, we will not get the outcomes we want,” Carley said.

Patients must receive a referral from a healthcare provider, but that person can be in any healthcare system.

“It doesn’t have to be a Bon Secours provider,” Carley said. “We accept referrals from physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners or physical therapists right now.”

Kicker says he lost 15 pounds, but that’s not what matters most to him. It’s having the strength and health to enjoy his grandchildren.

“I would love to see them graduate from college,” Kicker said. “Whatever time God decides. But I don’t want to be an excuse, where I just lay around and my body starts crumbling.”

The program costs $60 for 60 days. To learn more click here.

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