Geneva, Conneaut medical centers start Walking at Work Day
GENEVA - - Area workers and employers started Tuesday morning with a little huffing and puffing in an effort to get healthy.
Representatives from the Ashtabula County Health Department, sheriff's department, Emergency Management Agency, the city of Geneva, Geneva police, Geneva fire, Geneva Township trustees, Northwest Ambulance District, Community Care Ambulance, MedEvac and the Ohio State Highway Patrol walked through the parking lot at UH-Geneva Medical Center to promote healthy living through the START! program.
UH-Conneaut Medical Center held a similar event at the same time.
UH-Geneva and Conneaut medical centers implemented the American Heart Association's START! program to kick off Walking at Work Day, celebrated today. The program targets heart disease by increasing physical activity while at work.
"It is great to see employers represented here. The more people we have and the more teams we have the healthier our work force," UH-Geneva Medical Center President Laurie Delgado said.
Delgado said she is pleased to announce the START! program in Ashtabula County.
"Cardiovascular disease is our nation's number one killer. Seventy percent of Americans don't get enough exercise and ignoring fitness and health increases chances for heart disease," Delgado said.
The hospitals are taking preventative measures on heart disease and are calling on community employers to get their employees walking.
"It is a lifestyle change, no doubt about it. The START! program is a national campaign that calls on all Americans and their employers to create a culture of physical activity and health to live longer, heart-healthy lives through walking," Delgado said. Promoting physical activity through workplace walking programs can help employees reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke and lead longer, healthier lives, she said.
At least 25 percent of the healthcare costs incurred by working adults are attributed to modifiable health risks such as poor diet and lack of exercise and studies have shown that creating a healthier working environment is the only way to have healthier employees and ultimately lower healthcare costs, The American Heart Association reports.
"Healthy employees and workers are an investment. Walking and heart health education go a long way toward preventing heart disease," Delgado said.