What: The Memorial Wellness Center will offer a sneak peek at its new facility and an inside scoop to the services that will be available when the Wellness Center officially opens next week. The renovated space features a state-of-the-art kitchen – the centerpiece of a culinary medicine program that will be the first of its kind in central Illinois.

When: Media availability, 10-11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 5.

RSVP requested. Call Bre Linstromberg Copper, 217-479-5592.

Where: Memorial Wellness Center, 320 E. Carpenter St, Springfield.

Background: Memorial Wellness Center offers comprehensive and customized treatment options for weight loss and improved health through a multidisciplinary approach. Services include both surgical and non-surgical weight loss, nutrition counseling, diabetes care, preventative treatment options and wellness programs such as Healthy You.

Culinary medicine is an emerging evidence-based field that blends the art of food and

cooking with the science of medicine. It is an educational and nutritional approach to

improving eating behaviors, promoting health and preventing disease through food.

Who: Dr. Nicole Florence, MD, medical director and bariatrician, Memorial Wellness Center

Tiffany Turner, FNP-BC, manager and nurse practitioner, Memorial Wellness Center

Wendi Schutte, clinical manager, Memorial Wellness Center