Walking for wellness: St. Joseph’s Hospital employees take a midday mile
WVU Medicine St. Joseph's Hospital
W. Va.
It’s high noon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and people are gathering. But this isn’t the kind of meetup you’d see in an old Western; instead, this hospital’s staff are gathering for their walk. They do this every weekday — a brisk, 1-mile walk around the hospital’s campus. It’s inspired by West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s #MountaineerMile initiative, a statewide effort intended to promote more physical activity.
“I met the governor’s wife, Denise Morrisey, at the inauguration, and we started talking about hospitals and, ‘What are we doing to improve health outcomes besides taking care of sick people?’” said St. Joseph’s Hospital President and CEO Skip Gjolberg. “What are we doing on the health and prevention side of things to keep people healthy?’”
Denise Morrisey subsequently sent Gjolberg a link about a weekly walk that Dr. James Nemitz, the dean of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, had implemented.
Called the Moon Walk Noon Walk, the event gathers employees from across the hospital; community members are also welcome and encouraged to join.