Start! Program from the American Heart Association
Avera is proud to be a Start! sponsor in eastern South Dakota, northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota and northeast Nebraska. Start! focuses on corporations and the workplace to encourage an environment focused on physical activity and health not found in existing walking programs. Recognizing that time constraints and responsibilities prevent many people from taking care of their health, Start! helps people stop talking and start walking. Walking is the exercise that has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.
What is Start!?
- It is the American Heart Association’s groundbreaking new national campaign that calls on all Americans and their employers to create a culture of health and physical activity in order to live longer, heart-healthy lives.
- It is a call-to-action that evokes active, year-round participation in walking and the prevention of heart disease and stroke through support of the American Heart Association.
What health challenge does Start! address?
More than 1 in 3 Americans will die of heart disease and stroke; this is largely preventable. Physical inactivity doubles the risk of heart disease.
What business challenges does Start! address?
- 60 percent of CEOs cite health care as their top cost pressure
- Obesity costs American companies $225.8 billion per year in productivity loss
- Average annual health care cost per person exceeds $3,000
- Preventable illnesses make up 70 percent of illness costs in the United States.
Call your account representative for more information on how to begin a Start! program in your company. It is free and simple to coordinate. You can even Start! to work toward achieving “Fit Friendly” designation at your company!