A healthy workplace initiative for employees – Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ) partners with San Joaquin General Hospital (SJGH) (April 7, 2015)
(French Camp) – Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ) announced today almost 200 staff participated in its first-ever Walking Day event held in partnership with San Joaquin General Hospital (SJGH) on April 1. The event, held to support the American Heart Association’s National Day of Walking, also marked the opening of a series of walking paths set up on the neighboring HPSJ and SJGH campuses, as part of new efforts to encourage staff to make walking a daily habit.
“As healthcare professionals, staff at Health Plan of San Joaquin and San Joaquin General Hospital care for others while often neglecting their own health,” said HPSJ Health Promotion/Cultural & Linguistics Manager Jenny Dominguez, MPH / MBA. “As part of new efforts to encourage staff to make walking a daily habit, we joined together on April 1st – with a ribbon-cutting to kick-off a selection of new walking paths on the adjacent campuses, and then with HPSJ and SJGH staff heading out on the one-mile path.” Additional paths through the adjacent campuses have also been established for employees to walk, including for staff at Mary Graham Children’s Shelter and the VA Stockton Clinic, who were also invited to participate in the April 1st kick-off walk.
After remarks by Pam Benziger, local American Heart Association Executive Director, Dr. Mohsen Saadat, DO, SJGH Internal Medicine Program Director, Dr. Lakshmi Dhanvanthari, MD, HPSJ Chief Medical Officer, and HPSJ’s Dominguez, warm-up stretches were led by “Carl the Trainer” from Pure Form PFT (Stockton) who donated his time.
Heart disease is this country’s No. 1 killer. But by exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day, the risk can be reduced. The American Heart Association recommends walking, which offers many benefits – even for healthcare pros.
Top Eight Reasons to Walk:
- Prevents type 2 diabetes
- Strengthens your heart
- Good for the brain
- Good for your bones
- Helps alleviate symptoms of depression
- Reduces the risk of breast & colon cancer
- Short bouts improve fitness, too!
- Improves physical function
Map – Heart-Healthy Walking Path / April 1st Event
Walking Path
About Health Plan of San Joaquin
HPSJ, a not-for-profit health plan initiative developed by San Joaquin County, has been serving members and the community since 1996. HPSJ is the leading Medi-Cal managed care provider in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties with 300,000 members. As San Joaquin Health Administrators, HPSJ also acts as a licensed third-party administrator to San Joaquin County’s own employee health plan. For more information, visit hpsj.com.
Media Contact:
David Hurst
Vice President, External Affairs
Health Plan of San Joaquin
Phone: 209-461-2241
Text: 916-802-3734
dhurst@hpsj.com