Dr. Fred Jones: A Community Staple

When one thinks of a constant in the community, it might be your favorite corner store, the best restaurant in town or a place of worship. But Merrick also has a staple in the community that focuses on the health and wellness of its residents.

This Merrick staple is Dr. Fred Jones, director of Sunrise Chiropractic and Wellness office. Living and working in Merrick for more than 24 years, Jones has gotten to know many of the community members on a first-name basis.

“When my daughter was younger, she used to say that she didn’t like walking around town with me because we would get stopped every few blocks by someone I knew,” Jones said. But, he added, that being stopped always made him happy and made his relationships with his patients stronger. “They might tell me that something is feeling better or something is bothering them, which would get me started on planning a treatment for their next visit. I purposely wanted to work and live in Merrick to be close to my patients,” he said.

Jones chose Merrick to be his home base when he built the building on Hewlett Avenue, just south of Sunrise Highway in 1987, and it has housed Sunrise Chiropractic ever since. Focused on keeping the community healthy, Jones is very involved in wellness programs to help everyone from kids to seniors stay in the best health they can.

“I tell people that taking care of their body is the same as taking care of an automobile – you need to get it tuned up once in a while. I can help to restore your health and function on or close to 100 percent,” he said.  And Jones makes sure that the health and function of his patients is just that.  He also emphasizes the importance of physical activity. He recently developed an exercise boot camp in Farmingdale and is currently in talks to open a second one somewhere more local.  

Jones treats all types of chronic and acute back, neck and joint pain that often results from sports, auto, and work related injuries.  He also has patients that suffer from arthritis and with the proper treatment and incorporation of massage, and he explained that the symptoms lessen. Sunrise Chiropractic also offers massage therapy on site with John Vargas, LMT.

Jones is also very active in the community. He was a Merrick little league coach, is a Freeport volunteer firefighter, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Merrick, Lions Club of Merrick, Merrick Chamber of Commerce and is the founder of the Three Old Cranks Car Club.  He was even selected as Merrick’s Man of the Year in 1998 for his many volunteer efforts within the community.

Jones credits his success to believing in his dream, which kept him focused and working hard throughout his life. “This is something that I always wanted to do,” Jones said. He added that being able to be very involved in the Merrick community is more than he could have hoped for.

“I’m glad I followed my dream because helping people is my passion, it’s the best,” he said.