Gorge Athletic Clubs' Risley to testify to senate on shutdown impacts Feb. 10 at 1 p.m.
From Oregon Fitness Alliance:
Dianna Risley, General Mgr. of Gorge Athletic Clubs
Salem, Ore. – Six representatives from industries deeply impacted by COVID-19 restrictions will testify tomorrow, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m. in front of the Senate Committee on Health Care on the impact that COVID-19 measures have had on their organizations, including two health and fitness club owners.
Dianna Risley of Gorge Athletic Clubs and Tate Metcalf of Sisters Athletic Club, both board members for the Oregon Health and Fitness Alliance, will speak to the committee about the impacts that COVID-related closures have had on their facilities, as well as the impact that the closures and prolonged restrictions have had on the physical and emotional health of their club members.
“At Gorge Athletic Clubs, we have seen the health and emotional wellness of our members decline,” said Risley. “We have seen the mobility of so many of our elderly members decline significantly, as access to our recumbent bikes and therapy pool is restricted, and, just two weeks ago, I spoke with a fellow health club owner who spent the morning talking one of her members through a dangerous and life-threatening mental health crisis brought on by her inability to access the services that help her cope with the challenges we are all facing right now.”
Both Risley and Metcalf will testify on the challenges their facilities have faced in adhering to the arbitrary, one size fits all capacity limitations for their facilities which, even in high-risk counties, is limited to 25% occupancy or 50 people, whichever is smaller, regardless of the facility’s size.
“Even with many of the most populated counties moving from extreme risk to high-risk effective Friday, a 50 person maximum is unrealistic for so many of Oregon’s larger fitness facilities, some of which encompass 30,000, 150,000, or 650,000 square feet,” said Metcalf. “Our industry continues to advocate for reasonable and responsible occupancy limitations based on a percentage of capacity, just like nearly every other industry in the state is allowed to operate under.”
Joining Risley and Metcalf in testifying in tomorrow’s Senate Committee on Health Care are Ross Hoover, City of Tualatin Parks & Recreation; Brad Hester, President of the Oregon Dental Association; Jeremy Hilliard, Associate Professor & Director of Clinical Education, Pacific University; and Kym Garrett, Kym Garrett Acupuncture.
The Senate Committee on Health Care hearing can be viewed live at 1 p.m. on Feb. 10 using the following link: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Committees/SHC/2021-02-10-13-00/Agenda.
