Gateway Employees Take Walk for Health

By NATE KARLIN The Leaf-Chronicle

04/18/08

Roughly 30 Gateway Medical Center employees, donned in their medical scrubs, work uniforms and suits, trekked about a mile around the Medical Center to send a message to the rest of Clarksville: be active and stay healthy.

"It's always good (to exercise)," staff accountant Shannon Gagne said. "It's for their own benefit. You don't lose anything by doing it." The employees gathered outside the medical building Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the company achieving the Start! Fit Friendly Company Award's gold-level status presented by the American Heart Association. In response to this award, Clarksville Mayor Johnny Piper announced April 16 as National Walk at Work Day in Clarksville. The walk began at 2:41 p.m. — representing the healthy fact that for every hour of regular exercise, you add two hours to your life (two for one).

Gateway Medical Center CEO Mike Mullins was proud to say the hospital staff is "setting an example for the community to follow." "We are committed to healthy lifestyles," Mullins said. Gateway reached this goal by meeting specific criteria, said Connie Hassell, director of food and nutrition. In doing so, the hospital offers physical activities, encourages its employees to walk, helps pay gym memberships, supports staff members in living healthier lives, offers more healthy food options in the cafeteria and offers a heart-healthy menu for patients. The hospital also offers programs to help employees quit smoking and will take it a step further come June with the move to the new replacement hospital on Dunlop Lane, which will be an entirely smoke-free campus.

"It's a catalyst for positive change in the workplace," Hassell said of the award. "And being a healthcare provider in Clarksville, we wanted to lead the way." Hassell said a physically healthier work force can lead to happier employees, better morale and less sick time. "There's just a huge benefit to having healthier employees," she said.

Gateway is the second company in Clarksville to earn the award. Trane reached gold status last year.
(Copyright 2008, The Leaf-Chronicle, reprinted with permission. For more about Clarksville and Montgomery County, Tenn., please visit online at www.theleafchronicle.com)