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Stairwells are often overlooked as a physical fitness option, but a new service corps here at the Brigham and around Boston hopes to change that.
ClimbCorps, the nation's first service corps dedicated to improving America's health and wellness, is being championed by BWH's Cardiovascular Wellness Service (CWS) and piloted in Boston this fall. Through ClimbCorps, CWS seeks to create a large-scale awareness campaign that supports healthier lifestyles and makes a measurable impact on the country's health and wellness.
"ClimbCorps is a step forward in preventive health care for cardiovascular disease," said corps member Vinayak Sinha, who graduated from Clark University last spring. "We are encouraging people to stay healthy by doing something relatively simple: taking the stairs."
During its two-year pilot, under the direction of Medical Director JoAnne Foody, MD, FACC, FAHA, and Director Annette Rubin, ClimbCorps will have an active and visible presence in 10 of the city's tallest or busiest buildings, including the Prudential Center, One Post Office Square and BWH. Each building is staffed by two ClimbCorps members, who are responsible for organizing and leading group stair climbs and educating the public about health and wellness. ClimbCorps will also offer high-energy Climb-A-Thons twice per year to raise funds and awareness about its mission.
During a BWH kick-off event last month, BWH/BWFH President Betsy Nabel, MD, welcomed the 20 ClimbCorps members, who proudly wore their uniform gray ClimbCorps jackets. The two corps members assigned to BWH, Andrea Park and Sid Narayanan, presented Nabel with a ClimbCorps jacket.
"Through this service corps, you are helping to promote healthy behaviors across the Brigham family and the greater Boston community," Nabel said. "Thank you for your passion and dedication."
Most ClimbCorps members are recent college graduates interested in careers in health, medicine, science and health communication. Many hope to go on to medical school or enter public health programs after their 11-month term with ClimbCorps.
Earlier this summer, corps members underwent three weeks of training, which included program orientation, campus tours, team building exercises, CPR/AED training and certification, and basic cardiovascular and exercise training. The corps members also received education in community outreach, nutrition, heart disease prevention, public speaking, injury prevention and other areas.
"Because this is a new program, as corps members, we get to have our ideas heard and enhance the program going forward," said Sara Rosenbaum, who graduated from Washington University last spring and plans to attend medical school next fall. "We're helping to give people a way to be more active."
Beyond the pilot, ClimbCorps' goal is to expand to other cities across the country, serving as a self-sustaining public health model that promotes healthy lifestyle choices and cardiovascular risk reduction.
Learn more about ClimbCorps and how to get involved at www.climbcorps.org.