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City of Midland, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and National Fitness Campaign Provide Free Fitness for Everyone in Midland
Feb. 27, 2025
MIDLAND, Texas — The City of Midland, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and National Fitness Campaign today announced a partnership to bring an outdoor Fitness Court and digital wellness programming to Midland. The Fitness Court, located at Dennis the Menace Park, will open at 11 a.m. on March 5 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
This Fitness Court was developed by the City of Midland, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and NFC to expand free access to high quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for communities around the region. The Fitness Court is the world’s best outdoor gym that lets users leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout using seven exercise stations.
Created for adults of all abilities aged 14+, the Fitness Court workouts are adaptable for all fitness levels, allowing participants to move at their own pace. Users also may download the free Fitness Court App which acts as a coach-in-your-pocket and enhances the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness experience. The City of Midland is one of 35 Campaign Partners building a network of Fitness Courts across the state, with the help of BCBSTX.
Dennis the Menace Park is a 3.9-acre specialty park located in the central part of the city — 2201 W. Indiana Ave.
"The City of Midland is fortunate to partner with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and National Fitness Campaign on The Fitness Court at Dennis the Menace Park,” Midland Mayor Lori Blong said. "A goal of many in our community is to make Midland the healthiest place possible and the Fitness Court's exercise stations in this centrally located park will give Midlanders an opportunity to get out and move around."
“In addition to improvement in physical health, physical activity improves behavioral health conditions and can foster opportunities to make new social connections,” said Dr. Mark Chassay, chief medical officer at BCBSTX. “About half of U.S. adults are not getting enough physical activity in their daily lives. Helping fund these Fitness Courts is just one example of how we can support optimal health outcomes for all Texans, right in their own communities.”
“We are excited to have the City of Midland join us in the journey to improve health and wellness as we work to make a powerful and long-lasting impact on health outcomes and happiness by building healthy communities across America,’’ said Mitch Menaged, founder of National Fitness Campaign. “The addition of the outdoor Fitness Court, along with digital wellness programming, demonstrates a tremendous commitment to the health and wellbeing within the community.”
Residents are invited to attend the launch event at 11 a.m. on March 5 to try the Fitness Court. For more information, contact Joey Jolly at 432-685-7379. For more information on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas’ support of NFC, please visit https://nationalfitnesscampaign.com/texas.
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About the City of Midland
The City of Midland Parks and Recreation Divisions consist of 29 neighborhood parks, nine pocket parks, eight community parks, two regional parks, two pools, two senior centers, one recreational center, and one sports complex, totaling 1,364 acres of parkland and space for recreational activities. One of the strategic goals of the City of Midland is to ‘Build the Best Parks System in our Region’.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
Celebrating 95 years of helping improve the health of Texans, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas — the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas — is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with more than 168,000 physicians and health care practitioners, and 550 hospitals to serve nearly eight million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico). Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
About National Fitness Campaign
Founded in San Francisco in 1979, National Fitness Campaign is a wellness consulting firm that provides programs and services to cities, schools and sponsors. Our mission is to build healthy communities nationwide. The campaign delivers an integrated wellness initiative, centered around the Fitness Court® — the world's best outdoor gym. National Fitness Campaign welcomed its 500th healthy community in 2023, as it continues to grow the country’s largest public-private partnership in support of wellness with the goal of building a Fitness Court within a 10-minute bike ride of every American.
Media Contact
BCBSTX
Parris Kane
media@bcbstx.com
City of Midland
Stewart Doreen
sdoreen@midlandtexas.gov
National Fitness Campaign
Sarah Morgan
sarah@nfchq.com