A new five-story, $18-million multi-purpose facility that will house 300 employees and a 15,000-square-foot Lifestyle Center encouraging wellness as well as physical fitness is under construction for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.) The CDC also dedicated a new Clifton Road streetscape, a secure buffer for the Roybal campus featuring wide sidewalks and greenspace for pedestrians.

"These new additions are excellent examples of CDC’s commitment to two overarching goals of health promotion and preparedness," said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. "At the new Lifestyle Center, we will refine what we know works to help all people, including our own employees, achieve the best possible health at every stage of life. The new streetscape meets our security needs, yet allows ongoing interaction between CDC and the surrounding community."

The Lifestyle Center, designed to support and encourage healthy choices by CDC employees, will offer:

• Indoor cardiovascular and strength-building equipment

• Classes ranging from yoga to aerobics to t’ai chi

• Outdoor walking paths, game tables, meditation areas

• Healthy foods and beverages

CDC will also explore fitness and wellness "best practices" at the Lifestyle Center through partnerships with fitness and sporting goods manufacturers, managed care providers, insurers, and food and beverage makers. Findings will be shared broadly with others interested in promoting healthy lifestyle choices.

"Our goal is for CDC’s new Lifestyle Center to set the standard for workplace wellness," said Dr. William Dietz, director of CDC’s nutrition and physical activity program. "Our hope is that we’ll be able to create an environment that will be open and attractive to fitness newcomers, hardcore enthusiasts, and those who fall in the middle."

Features of the Clifton Road streetscape include:

• wide sidewalks set back from traffic on Clifton Road,

• open fence of crab orchard stone veneer and vertical pickets,

• covered pavilion – the new primary entry point to CDC for pedestrians, and

• new landscaping that complements mature trees, shrubbery.

For more information on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, visit www.cdc.gov.