BCBSA Announces Winners Of Sixth Annual WalkingWorks® Capitol Hill Challenge

The offices of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Rep. John M. Spratt (D-SC) walk their way to the top spots

June 30, 2008

WASHINGTON – The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) today announced that the offices of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Rep. John M. Spratt (D-SC) are the winners of the sixth annual WalkingWorks® Capitol Hill Challenge, which drew more than 3,500 Hill staff participants.

The walking challenge, sponsored by BCBSA and the Congressional Fitness Caucus, is a friendly competition that encourages House and Senate staffers to compete to see who can walk the most steps over six weeks.  Congressional staffers signed up for the competition during health fairs held on Capitol Hill, and more than 67,000 total miles – over 10,000 miles a week – were logged by challenge participants.

Sen. Stevens' office was the first place winner in the Challenge's "Overall Miles" category, with 6,590 miles logged, and Rep. Spratt's office won in the "Office Average Per Walker" category, with an average of 298.88 miles per walker.  On behalf of the winners, BCBSA will issue two $5,000 donations to Special Olympics of Washington, D.C.  A total of 110 Congressional offices – 35 Senate and 75 House – took part in the challenge and logged their miles.

"The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association congratulates the winners of this fun and healthy competition," said Scott P. Serota, president and CEO of BCBSA.  "It's great to see our nation's leaders and their staffs so engaged in simple behaviors that impact health, and I hope the example they set spurs others into action."

Rep. Spratt, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said he is "really proud" of his staff.  "The Capitol Hill Challenge not only contributes to charity, but also promotes a healthy lifestyle by emphasizing the importance of walking.  We look forward to competing again next year."

Sen. Stevens added, "WalkingWorks is a great program.  My staff in Alaska and in Washington, D.C., participated and when we signed up for the challenge we decided to fully commit.  We discussed what we needed to do to win and decided we should walk to work if we could and take the stairs whenever possible."

"Physical fitness has been important to me my whole life and walking is such an easy way to help you stay in shape.  I hope we continue to opt out of escalators and the Senate tram and stick to walking as much as possible."

BCBSA designed the WalkingWorks Capitol Hill Challenge to provide elected officials an opportunity to improve their own health, as well as provide a healthy dose of active leadership to their constituents.  The Capitol Hill Challenge is an extension of the WalkingWorks program, a walking program implemented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies nationwide.

More examples of initiatives by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to improve healthcare quality and value are highlighted in "The Pathway to Covering America," which can be found on the BCBSA Web site at www.bcbs.com/issues/uninsured/pathway-to-covering-america/.

More information on the full WalkingWorks Capitol Hill Challenge may be found at www.bcbs.com/capitolhillchallenge.