OPINION: The unwritten loss in the Active Wellness Center closure

Published 2:27 pm Thursday, July 3, 2025

While I appreciated Nick LaMora’s recent coverage of the upcoming closure of Providence’s Active Wellness Center at Reed’s Crossing, I was struck by what was left unsaid: the true cost of this decision.

This wasn’t just a gym. It was the heartbeat of a community intentionally designed around it. Reed’s Crossing was built on the principles of New Urbanism — a walkable, human-scale neighborhood where wellness was meant to be woven into daily life. The Active Wellness Center wasn’t an afterthought; it was a cornerstone. For many residents, it was just steps from their front door — a place where movement, connection and care came together.

Now, we’re told the space will be repurposed for sports medicine and physical therapy. But let’s be honest: that’s not a replacement — it’s a retreat. Sports medicine is important, but it’s not community-based. It’s a clinical service, often tied to commercial insurance networks, high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs that make it inaccessible to many.

It serves individuals after injury — not the broader community seeking to stay well in the first place. And in a neighborhood like Reed’s Crossing, where the majority of residents are active, mobile and invested in preventive wellness, the impact of this change will be minimal at best. It doesn’t meet the needs of the people who built their lives around this center.

We’re not just losing access to equipment or pool lanes. We’re losing a space where seniors found strength after surgery, where parents carved out time for self-care, where instructors nurtured both body and spirit. It was a sanctuary where names were learned, milestones celebrated, and tough days met with sweat and solidarity.

I urge Providence to consider the ripple effects of this closure. And I invite the wider Hillsboro community to recognize what made this center so special: a culture of care, belonging and sustainable well-being. That spirit still exists. It lives in the people. And we’re not done moving forward.

Simone La Pay is a resident of Reed’s Crossing.