Healthy Virginians = Gov. Mark Warner’s goal for the commonwealth.
When Warner addressed a crowd Tuesday on the Capitol lawn, he talked about the importance of his Healthy Virginians initiative before the nearly 500 state workers headed to the 17th Street Farmer’s Market in Shockoe Bottom.
“We’ve got to focus on our kids. We’ve also got to focus on that Medicaid population, our most vulnerable citizens,” he said. “According to the Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) – and this is a pretty stunning statistic – 58 percent of Virginians are either overweight or obese.”
The Healthy Virginians initiative stresses taking small steps to become a healthier person. For instance, the plan calls for Virginians to take 2,000 more steps and cut 100 calories per day. By doing this people should see changes in their overall health, according to the initiative.
Although Tuesday’s efforts focused on Virginia’s state work force, Warner’s initiative focuses on all Virginians in every age group.
But before undertaking the initiative, Warner told state workers to go online for a personal health screening. After they begin this initiative, he reminded them to gauge their progress.
The governor also stressed the importance of making the regular health screening an ongoing initiative.
“We want to make sure as well that we don’t do this simply as a one-day effort,” he said. “We’re going to make sure we continue to encourage you to participate in this effort on an ongoing basis.”
Christian P. Raposo, a building and grounds department worker for the state police, remains somewhat skeptical that the initiative will succeed.
“I don’t know,” Raposo said. “There’s going to have to be a lot more regular events than this.”
Tuesday’s walkers received a free T-shirt and an automatic speaking pedometer from Continental Health Promotion to aid in their quest to become healthier.
“We’re providing pedometers to encourage people to move more and eat less,” said Tracy Shea, a company representative. “We’re hoping to reach as many state employees as we can.”