WalkWorks Now Open
Guthrie announced that it has joined the WalkWorks network of affiliates. A Kick-Off Celebration was held on Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at the Island Pond in Sayre.
WalkWorks is a collaboration of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The goal of WalkWorks is to increase opportunities for physical activity in communities. As an affiliate, Guthrie assisted in identifying and developing the walking route, and will continue affiliate work by promoting the route and policy change that considers health in decision-making processes. WalkWorks also encourages the use of Walker Tracker, a web-based tracking tool for logging steps that is open for public registration at https://pawalkworks.walkertracker.com/.
“Encouraging healthy lifestyles is something we do inside the Guthrie campus every day when caring for our patients,” said Frank Pinkosky, EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer for Guthrie. “Helping to bring activities that support a healthy lifestyle outside our campus, to the community, is also something Guthrie is strongly committed to. As the hub of The Guthrie Clinic, 3,500 employees work here and 600,000 people visit the campus annually, so offering this opportunity to be active to residents, employees and visitors is the right thing to do.” Pinkosky added, “Having safe, walkable streets and safe hiking and biking routes in and around our community will also encourage employees and visitors to frequent our downtown businesses, helping to bring about a more vibrant atmosphere.”
The Kick-Off Celebration opened the WalkWorks Island Pond Route, a 2-mile route that borders the Guthrie campus and takes walkers through downtown Sayre, past local landmarks.
Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from a twelve-county service area. Guthrie is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and is the first health system based in Pennsylvania and New York to join this network. Guthrie is comprised of a research institute, home care/hospice, hospitals in Sayre, Pa., Corning, N.Y., Towanda, Pa., Troy, Pa. and Cortland, N.Y., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of more than 325 physicians and 210 advanced practice providers offering 47 specialties through a regional office network providing primary and specialty care in 22 communities in Pennsylvania and New York. In addition, Guthrie offers home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products at seven convenient Med Supply Depot locations. Guthrie provides a wide range of services and programs to enhance the health and well-being of those it serves.
