BCBSA Announces Winners Of Seventh Annual WalkingWorks® Capitol Hill Challenge

Participants From The Offices Of Sen. Wyden And Rep. Spratt Walk Their Way To The Winners’ Circle

July 17, 2009

WASHINGTON – The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) today announced that participants from the offices of Senator Ron Wyden (OR) and Representative John M. Spratt, Jr. (SC) are the winners of the seventh annual WalkingWorks®Capitol Hill Challenge, which drew more than 5,000 Capitol Hill participants.

The walking challenge, sponsored by BCBSA, is a friendly competition that encourages House and Senate staffers to compete to see who can walk the most steps. A total of 124 congressional offices – 42 from the Senate and 82 from the House – took part in this year's challenge. Participants logged in excess of 125, 000 total miles – more than 250 million steps – during the six week challenge.

Participants from Sen. Wyden's office took the top spot in the Challenge's "Total Miles" category, with 7,648 miles logged, and participants from Rep. Spratt's office won in the "Average Miles Per Walker" category, with an average of 273 miles per walker.  In honor of the Challenge and its focus on health and wellness, BCBSA will issue a $10,000 donation to the American Diabetes Association.

"The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association congratulates the winners of this year's challenge," said Scott P. Serota, president and CEO of BCBSA.  "By engaging in this fun and healthy competition, our nation's leaders and their staffs are setting a good example about the benefits of physical activity and we hope it spurs others to engage in healthy behaviors."

Sen. Ron Wyden said, "I already knew that I have the best staff in Congress, but the WalkingWorks Capitol Hill Challenge gave everyone in my office an opportunity to stay healthy even while putting in some very long hours on health reform.  It proves that no matter how many hours you work in a day, you can always find ways to squeeze in some exercise."

Rep. Spratt, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said he is "really proud" of members of his staff for winning the Challenge a second year in a row.  "The WalkingWorks Capitol Hill Challenge not only contributes to charity, but also promotes a healthy lifestyle by emphasizing the importance of walking.  My staff looks forward to competing again next year and hope to maintain our winning streak."

BCBSA designed the WalkingWorksCapitol Hill Challenge to provide Capitol Hill staffers 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 used 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.