State-of-the-art sports medicine and performance center coming to FLC

Fort Lewis College is making yet another stride in health and performance facility development, now with the support of Centura Mercy Hospital, the premier medical provider of the Four Corners region. Centura Health committed a total of $4 million to the FLC Foundation and FLC for a 10,000-square-foot renovation of the Aquatics Center to transform the space into a cutting-edge performance, rehab, and wellness center for student-athletes and students. This collaboration will also support critical student and community wellness programs and cultural celebrations. 

The Centura Sports Performance Center will house strength and conditioning, athletic training, and physical therapy amenities, including on-campus training and recovery guided by Mercy Sports Medicine trainers with renowned expertise in sports medicine and orthopedic treatment.  

“Centura Health is proud to sponsor this state-of-the-art sports medicine center at Fort Lewis College for professional and recreational athletes in our community,” said Brandon Mencini, CEO of Mercy Hospital. “Living well includes treatment and training on sports-related injuries so we can continue to do what we love in our backyard playground for many years to come.” 

Centura Health is the official sports medicine and orthopedics provider of FLC Athletics. This collaboration will make them the exclusive health sponsor of FLC Athletics. The Centura Sports Performance Center is part of the state-of-the-art Health & Wellness Quad of FLC’s campus. This integrated area of campus includes the Student Life Center, Athletics Department, the nearly complete Schlessman Family Hall (health sciences center), and future nursing simulation labs.

“Centura has been a longstanding partner to FLC and our athletes, and we’re thrilled to have their support for a project that will change the way our athletes train and compete,” said FLC President Tom Stritikus. “We’re especially honored to partner with them on programming that encompasses overall wellbeing and care.” 

Centura Health’s partnership will also include collaborations addressing food security, suicide awareness, and overdose prevention as key initiatives in student and community wellness. They are also supporting long-standing FLC cultural celebrations that are open to the community, like Fiesta on the Mesa and Hozhoni Days Powwow. 

“Partnerships like this with FLC show that we are stronger together and can advance the health and wellness of people of all ages,” said Mencini. “Health may feel like a doctor’s visit, but it is so much more. Fort Lewis College’s recognition of this for its student body is profound. We are grateful to work alongside such leaders in our community to ensure we are all whole and healthy.”

Centura Health’s gift is a notable bookend to what has been a banner year of fundraising for the FLC Foundation that has centered around student success and wellbeing. 

“This is the largest philanthropic gift in FLC Foundation history and highlights the elevated types of collaborations we’re pursuing in support of our students,” said Melissa Mount, vice president of Advancement and CEO of the FLC Foundation. “We’re so grateful to have incredible partners and donors join us in not only serving our students in their athletic and educational journey but also making a difference in supporting the FLC community as a whole.” 

Renovations for the Centura Sports Performance Center are expected to begin in Fall 2023. Wellness programming is set to start as soon as Spring 2023.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Initially called the Centura Sports Performance Center, it was renamed CommonSpirit Sports Performance Center in January 2024 after CommonSpirit became Mercy Hospital's lead manager. Mercy Hospital is funding the renovation project in part with a $4 million gift from CommonSpirt.