American Heart Association and Providence Hospitals join forces to make the Midlands healthier and moving
December 17, 2014
Top-level sponsorship will help boost employee wellness, raise awareness of heart disease and stroke among Midlands area businesses
CAYCE, SC – Providence Hospital has signed on as the top-level sponsor for the American Heart Association’s My Heart My Life Midlands platform. Through its sponsorship, Providence Hospitals will provide support to the American Heart Association’s research and programs while establishing Providence Hospitals as a leader in the community when it comes to workplace wellness in the Midlands of South Carolina.
“We’re very excited to partner with the American Heart Association on this great initiative,” said Providence Hospitals Chief of Staff Dr. J.P. Sutton. “We look forward to working closely with them to help improve the heart health of people in our community through My Heart. My Life.”
Unveiled in 2011, My Heart. My Life. is the American Heart Association’s comprehensive health, wellness and fitness platform intended to empower Americans to get healthier. It serves as a critical component to the American Heart Association’s 2020 Impact Goal of improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent and reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent by the year 2020.
Midlands Heart Walk the celebration event of the My Heart. My Life. Campaign that aims to get Americans walking by targeting the place where the majority of waking hours are spent, the workplace. Americans work 164 more hours per year than 20 years ago and as jobs change to require more sedentary activities such as thinking and communicating, American workers exercise less.
Such sedentary lifestyles lead to obesity issues and preventable illnesses that ultimately cost companies billions of dollars each year in absenteeism, lost productivity and rising healthcare premiums. Midlands Heart Walk serves as both a smart fiscal choice and a powerful catalyst for positive change in the culture of American businesses by helping to promote wellness in America’s workplaces.
“Partnering with the American Heart Association is really an opportunity to lead by example when it comes to creating a culture of physical activity and wellness in the business community,” said Valerie Bridges, Executive Director for the American Heart Association. “With Providence Hospitals’ help, we will be able to implement programs that motivate people to get active, and live longer, healthier lives.
Physical activity is a major contributor to the current epidemic of heart disease and stroke, the nation’s number one and number four killers. Regular exercise lowers LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, lowers high blood pressure, and extends longevity and improves quality of life. Walking is one of the best exercises because it is free, has a relatively low dropout rate, and is accessible.
My Heart My Life is nationally sponsored by SUBWAY®, and locally sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Pepsico, Bose, SCE&G, Chernoff Newman, CMC Steel, Doctor’s Care, First Citizens Bank, Healthsource Chiropractic & Progressive Rehab, Mid-Carolina Electric, Midlands Technical College, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Ogletree Deakins, Palmetto Health Heart Hospital, PHT Services, Schmoyer and Company, Inc., Schneider Electric, Southern First, TRANE and Walgreens.
For more information about how the American Heart Association is helping improve the health of Americans please call the local Midlands Office at 803.806.3008 or www.midlandsheartwalk.org.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join us, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or any of our offices around the country, or visit heart.org.
