A rendering of the future Emplify Health by Bellin physical therapy clinic at the YMCA facility in Howard, Feb. 26, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
HOWARD, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Physical therapy services will soon be available at the West Side YMCA in Howard.
Emplify Health by Bellin is teaming up with the Greater Green Bay YMCA to make it happen. It’s a project that’s been in the works for three years.
“In the space we’re standing today, we’re actually going to be developing a 3,000-square-foot physical therapy clinic and moving our physical therapy department from next door into here,” said Charlie DeCleene, a physical therapist and team facilitator with Emplify Health by Bellin. “It will allow us to double what we will be able to do. The Howard community is growing so fast, and we felt that, and our services have grown so much at our Howard clinic, so it’s really going to allow us to grow our physical therapy department here.”
The goal is to make wellness more convenient and accessible, as patients can transition from their physical therapy appointments to working out at the YMCA — helping solidify routines and create healthier habits. Patients and their physical therapists can also utilize all the spaces the YMCA has to offer, like the weight room, pool, turf field and basketball courts, to name a few.
DeCleene said this type of partnership has been in practice by Gundersen Health System, which merged with Bellin Health in late 2022 to become Emplify Health.
“This has actually been modeled already. Our other half of our enterprise, the Gundersen family, has been doing this down in La Crosse for almost five, six years already, and it’s been really successful for them, so that’s actually where it came from,” he said.
Construction on the new clinic will begin in early April. Emplify Health hopes to start treating patients at the YMCA this fall.
Currently, Emplify Health has five full-time physical therapists at their Howard clinic, available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Once the new YMCA clinic is up and running, that number could increase to up to 10.
Last month, the Greater Green Bay YMCA unveiled expansion plans for the YMCA in Howard.
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