(BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - Dec. 11, 2025) — City of Brownsville, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX), and National Fitness Campaign (NFC) today announced a partnership to bring three new outdoor Fitness Court® Studios and digital wellness programming to the Brownsville area.
The City of Brownsville Parks & Recreation Department will host a three-stop Ribbon-Cutting Tour on Friday, December 12, 2025, unveiling the newly installed Fitness Court Studios at Cabler Park, Oliveira Park, and the Brownsville Event Center. These state-of-the-art Fitness Courts are part of the City’s ongoing commitment to expanding health, wellness, and outdoor recreation opportunities for Brownsville residents of all ages.
The tour will begin at 10:15 AM at Cabler Park, continue at 11:15 AM at Oliveira Park, and conclude at 12:15 PM at the Event Center, followed by a luncheon honoring project partners and supporters. University of Texas (UT) Health and Tu Salud Sí Cuenta will also be onsite demonstrating how the Fitness Court Studios can be used to support community health and wellness.
These Fitness Court® Studios were made possible through a collaborative effort between the City of Brownsville, UT Health, NFC, and BCBSTX to expand free access to high-quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for communities across the region. The Fitness Court® is the world’s best outdoor gym that lets users leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout using seven exercise stations.
Created for adults of all abilities aged 14+, the Fitness Court® Studio workouts are adaptable for all fitness levels, allowing participants to move at their own pace. Users also may download the free Fitness Court® App which acts as a coach-in-your-pocket and enhances the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness experience. The City of Brownsville is one of 40+ Campaign Partners building a network of Fitness Courts across the state, with the help of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas.
“In addition to improvement in physical health, physical activity improves behavioral health conditions and can foster opportunities to make new social connections,” said Dr. Mark Chassay, chief medical officer at BCBSTX, “About half of U.S. adults are not getting enough physical activity in their daily lives. Helping fund these Fitness Courts is just one example of how we can support optimal health outcomes for all Texans, right in their own communities.”
“We are excited to have the City of Brownsville join us in the journey to improve health and wellness as we work to make a powerful and long lasting impact on health outcomes and happiness by building healthy communities across America,’’ said Mitch Menaged, founder of National Fitness Campaign. “The addition of the outdoor Fitness Court, along with digital wellness programming, demonstrates a tremendous commitment to the health and wellbeing within the Brownsville community.”
Residents are invited to attend the launch event and try the new equipment on December 12th starting at 10:15 AM at Cabler Park. For more information contact Brooke Esparza at (956) 561-2603. For more information on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas’s support of NFC, please visit https://www.nationalfitnesscampaign.com/texas.
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About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
Celebrating 95 years of helping improve the health of Texans, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas — the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas — is the largest provider of health benefits in the state, working with more than 168,000 physicians and health care practitioners, and 550 hospitals to serve eight million members in all 254 counties. BCBSTX is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Texas, Illinois, Montana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico). Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
About National Fitness Campaign
Founded in San Francisco in 1979, National Fitness Campaign (NFC) is a wellness consulting firm that provides programs and services to cities, schools and sponsors. Our mission is to build healthy communities nationwide. The campaign delivers an integrated wellness initiative, centered around the Fitness Court®– the world's best outdoor gym. National Fitness Campaign is preparing to welcome its 750th healthy community in 2025, as it continues to grow the country’s largest public-private partnership in support of wellness with the goal of building a Fitness Court® within a 10-minute bike ride of every American. Learn more about National Fitness Campaign at nationalfitnesscampaign.com and follow along on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
