Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont Joins National Workplace Fitness Effort
For immediate release: April 13, 2010
Contact: Leigh Tofferi (802) 223-6131
Berlin, Vermont – More than 23,000 Vermonters will lace up their walking shoes and hit the pavement on April 28 for National Walk @ Lunch Day, an annual health promotion celebration hosted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) and its sister Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans across the country. The event is in its fourth year, and has grown significantly and become a rite of spring in Vermont.
National Walk @ Lunch Day, recognized by a formal resolution of the Vermont Legislature, encourages people to take time during their lunch breaks to start walking toward better health. Vermont employers and school leaders will host walks and BCBSVT will sponsor four community walks throughout the state at:
- City Hall on Church Street in Burlington
- Rutland Regional Medical Center “Loop” in Rutland
- River Garden in Brattleboro
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont in Berlin
BCBSVT is proud this year to welcome support from the American Heart Association and the Vermont Education Health Initiative (the health plan covering educators and other school staff in Vermont). Teachers and their students will walk at many schools around the state. State legislators and employees at worksites, large and small, that receive coverage through BCBSVT health plans have already registered for walks.
Most Americans’ schedules are built around their workdays, so National Walk @ Lunch Day is designed to fit into–not compete with–the average daily routine. Last year many employers supported National Walk @ Lunch Day by encouraging their workforces to participate.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the cost to treat illness and chronic disease caused by inactive lifestyles is nearly $1,000 for every family in America, every year. Simply getting 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as a brisk walk, at least five times a week, has significant health benefits, such as lowering the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, hypertension or type 2 diabetes and improving the health of muscles, bones and joints. [Source: Physical Activity and Health, A Report of the Surgeon General, 1996]
“National Walk @ Lunch Day is designed to educate millions of consumers about how their daily decisions can have an impact on their health and well-being. It also creates an opportunity for employers to engage their employees in physical activity that promotes a healthier workplace environment,” said Don C. George, President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont. “Better informed and more physically active consumers also can mean fewer serious health problems down the road, which helps better control the rising cost of health care in our nation.”
“We want to encourage all Vermont employers, whether they’re our members or not, to participate in this year’s Walk @ Lunch Day,” George said. “We have some modest incentives available for employers in all areas of the state to use in encouraging their employees to take this fun and important step toward better fitness.”
Employers who want information about special programs related to Walk @ Lunch Day here in Vermont should contact the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont communications staff at 802.371.3335 or visit the organization’s website at www.bcbsvt.com/walkatlunch.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is the state's oldest and largest private health insurer, providing coverage for more than 150,000 Vermonters. It employs over 350 Vermonters at its headquarters in Berlin and its field office in Williston, and has offered group and individual health plans to Vermonters for more than 60 years.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent corporation operating under a license with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.