Community fitness and corporate wellness can go hand in hand. And it starts at the top of the company, Scott Kashman, chief administrative officer of Cape Coral Hospital, part of the Lee Memorial Health System in southwest Florida, wrote in Hospital Impact yesterday. After a 12-week hospital challenge of 100 people to improve fitness in the community, raise awareness and education about health issues, and build camaraderie, the hospital saw real results in lower obesity rates and higher normal weights.
Although the hospital challenge was based off a challenge in the Kansas City region, Kashman encouraged other hospitals to get started. "The key is to get the challenge started and don't over think it," he said. "Two success factors: getting leadership members to participate and utilizing wellness coaches or similar types of personal training coaches to continue to check in and encourage participants." Blog post