Santa Fe introduces walking as prescription to fight diabetes
Related
Advertisement
8/28/2009 - 8/22/09
A simple prescription for a walking regimen might be beneficial to people at risk for diabetes and other diseases, according to representatives from the Department of Health. That's why they've brought Prescription Trails, a walking program, to Santa Fe.The program kicked off officially on Aug. 8 at Frenchy's Field with Mayor David Coss leading a group of about 25 people on a 45-minute walk around the park.
The program works like this: the Department of Health will hand out prescription sheets and walking guides to doctors offices around the city and doctors will prescribe their patients a walking regimen to help get them in shape.
Anna Hargreaves, the health educator for the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program of the Department of Health, said that walking has several benefits.
"You can reduce diabetes and obesity through physical activity," Hargreaves said. Hargreaves first heard of Prescription Trails when the Alliance for Active Living talked about bringing it to Albuquerque in 2006. That Albuquerque Prescription Trails took two years to get off the ground and finally started in the summer of 2008. Hargreaves said her involvement in that group helped get the Santa Fe program off the ground more quickly.
"Santa Fe is the second city, and we're hoping to expand it to Española, Cuba, Las Cruces and Socorro," Hargreaves said.
Through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state funding, the Department of Health teamed up with the City of Santa Fe to print the Santa Fe Prescription Walking Trails Guide that will be offered to patients along with their prescription. The guide features maps of various trails in 26 of Santa Fe's parks in five Santa Fe ZIP codes. In addition, the maps include a few quick facts about each park, such as how certain parks got their names and what attractions some parks are near.
"The primary goal from a health point of view is to encourage people to walk, and the primary goal from the city's point of view is to promote the parks," Hargreaves said. "It's really a win-win situation — the parks are very beautiful."
"The Walking Trails Guide is a perfect way to help citizens use our city parks for pleasure and health," said Mayor Coss in a news release.
In addition to looking for walkers to contact their doctors about the free program, Hargreaves is also looking for doctors to offer the prescriptions through their offices.
"So far there are only three (doctors) using it," Hargreaves explained. "That's why we're really trying to get the word out."
Doctors interested in offering the prescriptions can contact Hargreaves at dpcp@diabetesnm.org, or call her at 476-7614.
The ideal situation is for future walkers to get prescriptions from their doctors during routine checkups so they can get a program tailored to their specific health issues, Hargreaves said, but if people would like to get a copy of the trail maps, they can also do that.
So far, Hargreaves doesn't know of any Santa Fe-area walkers who have started a walking regimen. In time, the Department of Health is looking to start a Web site for walkers to access the trail information and looking for a way to have the walkers connect. Also, so the department can continue to fund the program, they will be following up with the doctors to see how the program is working for their patients.
Hargreaves said this program will also encourage the city to become more walker-friendly.
"There is a big movement to work with and build the environment," Hargreaves said. "That means improving parks and trails and sidewalks so that people have places to walk."
Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.
