Thousands Of Vermonters Participate In National Walk @ Lunch Day

May 9, 2008

BERLIN – On April 30, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) joined its sister Blue plans across the country in hosting the second annual National Walk @ Lunch DaySM.

National Walk @ Lunch Day, sponsored by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, encourages people to take time during their lunch breaks to start walking toward better health.   Vermont employers and school leaders hosted walks throughout the state and BCBSVT sponsored six community walks throughout the state.  Thousands of Vermonters participated in the event, despite snow and low temperatures.

BCBSVT this year welcomed support from the American Heart Association and the Vermont Education Health Initiative or VEHI (the health plan covering educators and other school staff in Vermont).  The Heart Association lent support at a walk at the Vermont State House in Montpelier.  VEHI helped get the word out to the teachers and students who walked at 39 schools sprinkled across the state. 

Most Americans' schedules are built around their workdays, so National Walk @ Lunch Day is designed to fit into–not compete with–the average daily routine.  More than 45 employers in Vermont supported National Walk @ Lunch Day by encouraging their workforces to participate.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the cost to treat illness and chronic disease caused by inactive lifestyles is nearly $1,000 for every family in America, every year.  Simply getting 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as a brisk walk, at least five times a week, has significant health benefits, such as lowering the risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease, hypertension or type 2 diabetes and improving the health of muscles, bones and joints.  [Source:  Physical Activity and Health, A Report of the Surgeon General, 1996]

"National Walk @ Lunch Day is designed to educate millions of consumers about how their daily decisions can have an impact on their health and well-being.  It also creates an opportunity for employers to engage their employees in physical activity that promotes a healthier workplace environment," said William R. Milnes, President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont.  "Better informed and more physically active consumers also can mean fewer serious health problems down the road, which helps better control the rising cost of health care in our nation."

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is the state's oldest and largest private health insurer, providing coverage for about 180,000 Vermonters. It employs over 350 Vermonters at its headquarters in Berlin and its full-service field office in Williston, and has offered group and individual health plans to Vermonters for more than 60 years. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont is an independent corporation operating under a license with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. http://www.bcbsvt.com/