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The YMCA of Greater Des Moines Healthy Living Center will attract a broad range of users, which could include someone recovering from cancer, a triathlete in training or just about anyone interested in improved fitness.

Scheduled to open June 15, the Healthy Living Center at 12493 University Ave. is part of a six-building wellness campus jointly developed by Ladco Development Inc. and Mercy Medical Center. The YMCA will lease the 65,000-square-foot space from Ladco under a 25-year agreement.

The Healthy Living Center represents “a totally new way of integrating the YMCA and the medical community,” said Kim Stewart, the Y’s district executive director. In contrast to smaller medical rehabilitation programs available in Greater Des Moines, “this will be the one and only that is really focused on completely integrating and filling that gap between where a medical professional leaves off and where a person is back to full function,” she said.

The Mercy Wellness Campus, which also includes the Mercy Cancer Center and Mercy Sleep Center that opened late last year, will provide a convenient way for Mercy physicians to refer patients who could benefit from specific physical therapy or exercise regimens. An ambulatory surgery center, which will be connected to the Healthy Living Center by an enclosed walkway, is scheduled to open this fall. Two multispecialty medical office buildings are expected to be completed next year.

In addition to Stewart and Associate Executive Director Jeremy Dyvig, the center’s full-time staff will include a medical programs director, a senior program director, a youth wellness director, two physical therapists and a physical therapy assistant. The center will also employ approximately 70 people on a part-time basis, including about 20 fitness instructors.

The Gateway Market will open a Gateway Cafe in the lobby, and Gigi’s Pilates Studio will operate the center’s Pilates programs, which will feature The Pink Ribbon Program designed to help breast cancer survivors increase their flexibility following surgery.

Unlike other YMCA branches, the Healthy Living Center will not have a basketball court, nor will it offer swimming classes, preschool or other programs that are not directly related to health and wellness, Stewart said.

“Since all we’re going to do here at the Healthy Living Center is health and fitness, we’re going to be able to be very creative,” she said. “We’re also going to be able to reach out to a broader spectrum of people.”

The entire $70 million Mercy Wellness Campus, including each of the six buildings, will be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. The campus includes a mile-long walking trail, and more than 55 percent of the acreage is designated as green space.

Though the Healthy Living Center is a joint venture between the YMCA and Mercy, the facility and its rehabilitation programs will be available for referrals from any health-care provider in Greater Des Moines, Stewart said.

In addition to disease prevention, recovery and rehabilitation, the center will also serve a general membership component, as well as employees of businesses in the surrounding area through corporate memberships, said Vernon Delpesce, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Des Moines.

“Our best estimate is that about one-third of the programs will be medically integrated, a third corporate wellness and a third for just the average person that wants to participate in the programs,” he said. “Just from talking with doctors in the area, we know that there’s a lot of demand for medical referrals, and from talking with businesses in that area, we know there’s a lot of demand for corporate memberships.”

The YMCA also is in the process of forming a network of wellness coordinators that corporate members can tap into, which should make the corporate memberships more valuable, he said.

Both corporate and individual members of the Healthy Living Center will pay higher fees than for other Y facilities because of its specialized equipment and staff.

“We’ll have a little bit more staff coverage because of the nature of some of the people we hope to serve that are in a high-risk category,” Stewart said. However, corporate discounts will be available to encourage businesses to help their employees become more active.

“We would love to get some good-sized companies that are willing to pay for a portion of their employees’ membership to a healthy living center,” she said. “And if we can do that, we’ll also say, since you’re putting some money out there, we’re going to take some off too and essentially pay a portion of that membership if you do, thus reducing the cost for a member to be involved.”