Brittany Lynch, Journalist
It’s that time of year again and the Upper Cumberland Region is a buzz with spring life! Flowers are beginning to sprout and the grass has begun to green again before our very eyes! While there may still be a bit of rain to come, mother nature has started bringing on the warmer temperatures. With these warmer temps, people begin to venture more outside.
With this change in weather, the officials at Cookeville Regional Medical Center (CRMC), Tennessee Heart and the Putnam County Health Department have announced the dates for the latest sessions of the Walk with a Doc (WWAD) program.
Dr. Scott Reising, a Cardiologist at Tennessee Heart, and one of the Doctors who will be participating in the program had this to say, ““It’s a communication reinforcement and people, you’ve got a generation of kids coming up behind all of us and 96% of all of our schools have done away with physical education and so we have a group that has more diabetes and obesity than any generation that’s ever lived.”
The walk begins at the front of CRMC, at the main lobby and participants travel with doctors on an one mile trek around the hospital. While walking, participants are able to speak to the doctors freely.
Jeffrey Adcock, a participant of last year’s walks said, “As you’re walking, if you’ve got a question. Holler and they’ll [the doctors] answer it.”
“It’s made a huge difference on me because after my lung transplant I’m willing to walk everyday,” said Adock.
Glynda Greene, another participant from last year’s walks never missed a session with WWAD. In her efforts, she has lost close to 42 pounds. “I saw the ad in the newspaper and I thought, ‘well hey! I ought to do that to get me out of the house and I can meet new people and meet all the doctor’s from the heart department,” said Greene.
“Really, the whole beauty of the program was the camaraderie, the relationships, the interactions. We [doctors] don’t get a chance to do any of that,” said Reising.
WWAD starts on Saturday, April 14 at 8 a.m. and will continue every Saturday until September. Registration will start at 7:30 a.m. This year on opening day, two door prizes will be given out and free t-shirts will be handed out to the first ten people who register.
Glynda Greene – “I saw the ad in the newspaper and I thought, ‘well hey! I ought to do that to get me out of the house and I can meet new people and meet all the doctor’s from the heart department.
“To intermingle with other people in the neighborhood and to get to know the heart doctor.”
Jeffrey Adcock – “
Dr. Reising. “Really, the whole beauty of the program was the comradery, the relationships, the interactions. We [doctors] don’t get a chance to do any of that as we try to ruh through the patients.”
“There’s an opportunity to go into more details than when you are in the clinic.”
“It’s a communication reinforcement and people, you’ve got a generation of kids coming up behind all of us and 96% of all of our schools have done away with physical education and so we have a group that has more diabetes and obesity than any generation that’s ever lived.”
The goal is to maybe not have the same group but to reach out to a broader audience. That more people would show up.”
To bring attention to something that is dramatically undervalued in our country that can be preventative.