Chances are you’ve never been to a place like Turning Point Health and Wellness. On the coasts, they are considered treatment malls. The concept of such facilities combines multiple health or wellness services necessary for holistic health into a single location where the tenants work together through referrals and scheduling. The goal, says Tanner Grimsley, brainchild and lead developer of the Grand Forks facility, is to help people reach their full potential at a time when everyone is busy, preoccupied or uncertain on how to achieve whole-body wellness.
A substance-abuse counselor by trade, Grimsley saw the need for a holistic-hub after witnessing his own clients struggling to get to his appointments—not to mention other health-related appointments that were, or could be, beneficial. “It was a challenge to get them to a lot of different places,” he says. As an addiction specialist, he would often recommend other services such as sleep studies, physical therapy or others as part of a self-improvement plan. With Turning Point, he now has the ability to give clients better access (sometimes by a simple walk down the hall with them) to beneficial services.
After an extensive remodel, redesign and renovation of an existing commercial space, Turning Point now houses multiple tenants that work together to help individuals achieve better health. Every month, they meet to plan an activity that involves the entire facility and promote unity. Last Halloween, each tenant participated in a trick-or-treat party for the public. According to Grimsley, any doubt that the tenants would work together has been shed. On a personal level, Grimsley feels validated and proud that he followed through on his vision. Although he is still a full-time counselor, he is also a developer now after spending roughly three years working behind the scenes to bring his idea into reality. He’s learned the art of boardroom pitches from his time working with lenders, investors and building collaborators. He’s adept at tweaking building designs from his work with ICON Architectural Group, the firm he has collaborated with since the beginning. And, he’s even had the pleasure of experiencing interest in reduplicating his idea, he says.
Other communities in the region are looking to bring a Turning Point facility into their health and wellness landscape. West Fargo is building a Turning Point and Bismarck, along with communities in Minnesota, have talked with Grimsley and the team from ICON about adding a location due to the unique offerings and ease of access available through the idea of the facilities.
“I knew this would work,” he says after describing the challenges he faced in gaining early support. “Sometimes the best plan B is just to stick with plan A.” G
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