The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
‘Walk with a Doc’ event set for Saturday
The Madison County Rural Health Council is encouraging residents to take a step toward better health with Walk with a Doc.
ONEIDA, N.Y. >> The Madison County Rural Health Council is encouraging residents to take a step toward better health with Walk with a Doc — a health program that brings doctors, patients, and community members together to walk once a month.
The Madison County Rural Health Council partnered with WWAD in 2018 and has coordinated eight walks with various doctors in Madison County with twomore scheduled for September and October.
The next walk will take place on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 10-11 a.m. on the Oneida Rail Trail “Monday Mile” on Seneca Street in Oneida, beside the Oneida High School, with Dr. Daniel Ratnarajah fromthe MDVIP-affiliated Primary Care Practice in Oneida.
This event is free and preregistration is not required. All are welcome and encouraged to walk at their own pace.
This will be Ratnarajah’s fourth-time leading a walk in Oneida. He has been met with much support from community members looking to learn about specific health topics, engage one on one with a doctor outside the office and start their weekend off on the right foot with a one-mile walk.
For the Sept. 14 walk, Ratnarajah will talk about ways to better manage stress.
According to a 2017 Gallup poll, 79 percent of Americans feel stressed sometimes or frequently during their day. Walkers will also have the opportunity to ask general questions about his topic.
Walk with a Doc is a national non-profit organization created by Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist with Mount Carmel Health Systems in Columbus, OH. He has walked with patients and community members every weekend since 2005. Themission of WWAD is to encourage physical activity in people of all ages and reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle in order to improve the health and well-being of the country.
The Madison County Rural Health Council is dedicated to promoting the WWAD program and its mission in Madison County.
Anyone with any questions can contact the Madison County Rural Health Council at 315-447-7625 or slocum.bonnie@mcruralhealthcouncil.org, Facebook @mcruralhealthcouncil for updates on this walk and future walks and the website at www.mcruralhealthcouncil.org for the schedule of 2019 walks.