BOH agenda 052715 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Orange County Health Department workers step up By Keith Upchurch / The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C. (TNS) Published: Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 10:15 AM. CHAPEL HILL — Step by step, staff members at the Orange County Health Department are inching closer to their goal of “walking” to California. They’re doing it without leaving North Carolina, tracking every inch they walk from the time they awaken until bedtime. It’s part of an eight-week “cross-country” walking challenge designed to highlight the importance of physical activity. The challenge involves about 20 staff members who plan to walk a total of 3,000 miles — the distance to that “other” Orange County — the one in California. The Health Department has created an online map of the journey to help track their progress and connect with communities along the way. Each week, the team calculates their individual steps using pedometers and other devices, adds them and identifies how many miles they’ve completed. The interactive map highlights health departments along the way, which will be tagged to encourage interaction on social media. The map can be found on the department’s web page at www.orangecountync.gov/health/. Click on “Walking the Walk.” “We are very excited to embark on this health journey as a staff,” Colleen Bridger, Orange County health director, said. “It is a great way for us to practice what we preach every day and raise awareness of public health.” The challenge began the first of March and has generated friendly competition among the staff, according to Stacy Shelp, public information officer for the department. Some participants have “standing desks” at the office that let them take stationary steps as they work, she said. One staff member brought a treadmill from home and fitted it to her desk so she can walk and work at the same time. “The biggest benefit of this challenge is improvement in the overall health of employees,” Shelp said. “We know that workplace wellness is really important. It increases morale and productivity.” Shelp said the department wants to convey that message to the entire community. “We often talk about the importance of physical activity, and we want to show the community that we’re actually walking the walk,” she said.