by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
• The direct medical cost of illness related to physical inactivity is $76.6 billion annually.
• An obese employee annually costs an additional $460 to $2,500 in medical expenditures and absenteeism.
• 60 percent of CEOs cite health care as their top cost pressure.
• For the second consecutive year Men’s Fitness magazine listed Jacksonville as one of the “Top 25 Fattest Cities in America.”
Those are just a few of the statistics discussed at the Leadership Breakfast for the Start! First Coast Heart Walk facilitated by the American Heart Association. The walk is Sept. 13 at Metropolitan Park and is the culmination of a community-wide wellness program that officially began at last Thursday’s breakfast.
Speaking to a group of CEOs, company owners and local Heart Association volunteers, St. Vincent’s HealthCare President and CEO and 2008 First Coast Heart Walk chair Scott Whalen said, “It might sound odd, but keeping people healthy and out of the hospital is one of our objectives. St. Vincent’s is the leader in heart-related services but we also believe in preventive medicine. The Heart Walk really fits with our mission. Seeing cardiac disease decline in our community is good for all of us.”
Allan Geiger is a shareholder at Rogers Towers and chair-elect of the American Heart Association Florida-Puerto Rico Affiliate. He said heart disease is more pervasive than many people realize.
“If you ask people at any gathering, everybody has either had a heart attack or they know someone who has. Something else many people are not aware of is heart disease kills 10 times more women than breast cancer,” he said.
The American Heart Association’s Start! Walking Program is designed to help companies encourage employees to start living healthier, happier lives. The association’s local staff visits companies to set up walking routes in the workplace, show employers how to encourage participation and set up recognition and reward incentives.
It’s a classic win-win scenario. The employees are healthier and more productive, the company saves on health care costs and fewer Americans are disabled or die from heart disease and stroke.
“The Start! Program is available free of charge for any company that wants to be involved. The moneys raised at the Heart Walk provide the funds for the program,” said Heart Walk Director Megan Millar.
“The Start! program is the centerpiece of our new wellness program for our employees. We’re self-insured, so it’s important to maintain the health of our employees. Anything we can do generates spectacular benefits,” commented Florida Community College at Jacksonville President Steven Wallace, who is also chair of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
After pointing out Jacksonville’s recognition as one of the country’s most overweight cities, Whalen said, “That’s a list we don’t want to be on and inactivity is one of the major reasons we are on that list.”
Dave Josserand is Chief Strategic Officer at the Dalton Agency and the chair-elect of the American Heart Association’s National Board. He said the Start! Program is a partnership between the American Heart Association, local businesses and City government. Josserand also said, “It’s time to reposition Jacksonville as a healthy city instead of an unhealthy city by reaching out to business leaders to get employees involved in wellness programs.”
At last year’s First Coast Heart Walk, 9,462 people laced up their sneakers and raised $850,00 for the program. This year’s monetary goal is to raise more than $1 million and Josserand believes the number of walkers should increase as well.
“We’re not asking people to run a marathon. There were 15,000 participants in the River Run a couple of weeks ago. We’re just asking people to walk, not run across the bridges in a 30 mile an hour wind,” he said.
For more information about the Start! Program or the First Coast Heart Walk, call the American Heart Association at 798-0197.