Building on the success of its 80 walking routes in 17 counties, 30 percent of all counties in Pennsylvania, WalkWorks – a program of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health – is expanding, again.
Joining the network this fall are the City of Washington in Washington County, The Guthrie Clinic in Bradford County, Mt. Union Borough in Huntingdon County, and Windber Borough in Somerset County.
“While many fine applications were received, these communities demonstrated their commitment to expanding opportunities for physical activity in the built environment,” said Carol Reichbaum, M.S.L., M.S.P.A., director of WalkWorks in Pitt Public Health’s Center for Public Health Practice. “Each will engage community members to assist with the identification of a 1- to 2-mile walking route, which will be used by walking groups.”
WalkWorks will provide technical assistance, promotional materials and signage to each community partner. The partners will also be encouraged to use Walker Tracker, a web-based tracking tool for logging steps that is open for public registration at https://pawalkworks.walkertracker.com/.
The new affiliates are already considering potential routes in an attempt to get ahead of the winter months.
“This is great news,” said Erin Wayman, Manager, Benefits and Wellness, The Guthrie Clinic. “We are truly excited about being selected to be part of a program that encourages our residents to take steps toward a healthier lifestyle and look forward to working with WalkWorks to implement this initiative in our community.”
For more information about WalkWorks, please visit www.pawalkworks.com.
# # #
About the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, founded in 1948 and now one of the top-ranked schools of public health in the United States, conducts research on public health and medical care that improves the lives of millions of people around the world. Pitt Public Health is a leader in devising new methods to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases, HIV/AIDS, cancer and other important public health problems. For more information about Pitt Public Health, visit the school’s Web site at www.publichealth.pitt.edu.
About Guthrie
Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from an 11-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., and Troy, Pa., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of more than 325 physicians and 210 advanced practice providers in a regional office network encompassing 47 sub-specialty and primary care sites in 21 communities throughout Pennsylvania and New York. In addition, Guthrie offers home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products at six 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.
