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Alliance Community Hospital is now 1,000 pounds lighter
Well, some of its Colleagues are, at least.
That's because nearly 150 of ACH's colleagues (employees) are participating in a hospital-wide weight-loss/healthy lifestyle initiative called "ACH's Biggest Healthy Loser."
The 12-week campaign was launched on Monday, February 11 and concludes on Monday, May 5.
Participants are following diet and exercise recommendations outlined in the "Biggest Loser" book, which is based on the hit NBC television show of the same name.
Sam Donohoe, Director of Colleague Relations (personnel) at ACH and one of the "ACH Biggest Healthy Loser" program co-founders said, "We wanted to inspire our Colleagues to take an active role in their own well-being. The fact that we have all of these Colleagues working together in teams, challenging each other and engaging in friendly competition to make healthier lifestyle choices is really encouraging."
Not to mention wildly successful since, at roughly the midway point of the competition, the collective weight loss total surpassed an impressive 1,000 pounds.
"We're thrilled to have had this kind of response to our program. When we began, we had hoped to get a few dozen Colleagues to take part, but instead, we've got a few dozen teams of Colleagues who are completely engaged," said Paul Witkowski, MS, PharmD and Director of Pharmacy at ACH.
Witkowski, another co-founder of the program, said that it includes mandatory educational sessions on topics such as: the health benefits of weight loss, the importance of a well-balanced and low-fat diet and how to create safe, effective exercise regimens. He noted that additional educational sessions will also be available during the remainder of the program on matters such as: how certain types of medications or suffering from sleep apnea can impact overall health and wellness.
"We're also proud that our team trainers are all Exercise Physiology students at Mount Union College," said Witkowski. He noted, "It's just one more way in which we're collaborating with MUC."
Witkowski said, at the conclusion of this inaugural session, a second leg of the program will commence, followed, in the near future, by a program that will be opened to the community.
"We're on a mission to improve the health of our Colleagues, as well as that of the community at large," he said.
For more information on other Alliance Community Hospital programs and services, please visit our website at www.achosp.org.
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