BU is doing its part to combat childhood obesity, which has more than tripled in the past 30 years, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  BU teamed up with the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and the Boston Centers for Youth & Family (BCYF) to create a new public health initiative called the Boston University Health and Wellness Program. The program included the creation of a new fitness facility, Boston University Fitness and Wellness Center @ BCYF Blackstone which opened in February.

The University plans to invest $1.25 million in the program in the next five years with the aim of providing services such as nutrition counseling, wellness programs and fitness training.  The initiative is a part of the city’s plan to provide at-risk areas access to free or inexpensive wellness and fitness programs. Other initiatives the University intends to undertake as part of the program are the creation of summer camp scholarships and the donation of free ice time at Walter Brown Arena to the Allston-Brighton Youth Hockey league.

Creation of the new fitness center involved renovating a section of the Blackstone Community Center’s existing 2,000 square-foot fitness center The new space includes an area for personal training and space for 25 exercise machines, including a variety of cardiovascular and strength training equipment.

The space is supervised by BU’s Sargent College of Heath and Rehabilitation Sciences along with the  University’s Department of Physical Education , Recreation, and Dance (PERD) who will train BCFY staff.

The Center is open 3 – 8:30 pm weekdays and 9 am – 2:30 pm Saturdays.

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