Local Health Commissioners to Lead Residents on Walk in the Park
Are Your Feet Ready? Please join this free event on April 6th
March 31, 2016 (Hauppauge, NY ) - Take a walk in Eisenhower Park (East Meadow) on Wednesday April 6, 2016, National Walking Day, with the Nassau County and Suffolk County Health Commissioners, Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein and Dr. James Tomarken, respectively. They will lead members of the public and the Long Island Health Collaborative (LIHC) on a two-mile walk (rain or shine). The walk begins at the park’s ice rink at 9:30 a.m., where the commissioners will hold a press event on the day marked by the American Heart Association that celebrates walking and all its healthful benefits.
The LIHC chose the Eisenhower Park location (Merrick Avenue entrance) because this area has undergone renovation and upgrade to make the sidewalk and paths more walkable and accessible. The improvements are part of the county’s Department of Public Works’ Complete Streets policy – a public policy which the LIHC supports in its efforts to get more people walking.
To promote both healthy habits and awareness about the walkability that Complete Streets lend to residents, members of the LIHC and the health commissioners ask “Are You Ready, Feet?™” This is the Collaborative’s walkability initiative that is also debuting April 6. It offers walkers/exercisers an opportunity to log into the Collaborative’s website www.lihealthcollab.org and post their step/miles walked/moved and to compete for prizes.
Countless studies suggest that moderate physical activity has proven benefits for an individual’s overall health, such as maintaining blood pressure, controlling weight, and promoting emotional stability. These improvements can help control and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Reduction of chronic diseases, especially those related to obesity, is the overarching goal of the LIHC.
The American Heart Association, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommends that adults participate in at least 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorously intense physical activity or a combination of both each week.
Members of the Long Island Health Collaborative invite friends, family, community members, and local organizations to join them and the health commissioners for a celebratory walk in the park. There is no fee and no registration necessary. Just show up with your feet and sneakers. Participants can enter and park near the southwest Merrick Avenue entrance of the park and attend the press event in the lobby of the ice rink.
For information about the walk or the press event, contact the Long Island Health Collaborative at (631) 257 – 6964 or LIHC@nshc.org.
About the Long Island Health Collaborative
The Long Island Health Collaborative is the hub of population health activities on Long Island. It is a partnership of Long Island’s hospitals, county health departments, community physicians and health providers, community-based social and human service organizations, academic institutions, health plans, local governments and the business sector, all engaged in improving the health of Long Islanders. The LIHC is an initiative funded by the New York State Department of Health through the Population Health Improvement Program grant, which is managed by the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council.