Santee Wellness Center Open Once Again

In early December, the Santee Wellness Center returned to work on a Monday to find out that a serious water leak had occured over the weekend.

A pool pump band clamp broke apart dumping water into the center for ten plus hours. The flooding damaged flooring and drywall in the wellness and ran through to the offices in the lower level. Areas affected in the lower level included the counselors offices in the H.E.A.R.T. program.

“It was a rude awakening,” said Wellness Center Director, Michael Henry. The incident disabled the center until its reopening that was held February 26. 

“We did a total remodel of storage space to make a sauna room,” said Henry. “It was a blessing in disguise.” While the center was out for nearly three months, a great deal of work was completed. Remodeling included tearing out the old carpet which was replaced with tile, removing a large closet to make room for free weights and mirrors, installation of a dry and wet sauna and remodeling of the lower offices.

The wellness center shares the building with several offices in the various areas of healthcare. The facility houses health professionals, 

dentists, optometrists, doctors and nurses, nutritionist and dietitian, therapists and counselors. Additionally, the health center includes outreach programs such as physical therapists.

A major misunderstanding about the wellness center is that it is limited to only tribal members. “We are open to the public. Alot of people dont understand and think that we are only open to tribal members, thats not true,” said Henry. Not only is it open to the public, but use of the facilities are made available at no charge. This includes use of the weight and cardio machines and also the pool and saunas.
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The facilities are open from Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, you may contact the wellness center at 402-857-2300.