Columbia, Mo. ? Budget constraints are forcing the University of Missouri to close a fitness institution it has operated for 19 years.

The Health Connection will close at the end of June. The center is located on the Stephens College campus in Columbia but the MU School of Health Professions owns it.

The facility has 323 clients who are mostly elderly or are rehabilitating from surgery or chronic illness.

The move will save the university most of the program’s annual $366,000 budget. While the school charges membership fees, it still has lost an average of $110,000 on the center. Officials with the School of Health Professions said they considered cutting hours and increasing fees but determined closing was the best option.

Closing the center will eliminate five full-time jobs.