Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s efforts to raise awareness for stroke victims could not have come at a more propitious time now that Congress is in the middle of this heated public health debate. This event reminds me that health-care reform should start with our own personal initiative to improve our cardiovascular health with good diet and exercise. What better way to reduce health-care costs than to avoid the costs that are within our own control?
I’d like to encourage the three local governments to set firm goals for next year’s Downtown Dash; for the Glendale city government to have at least 1,000 employees participate. The goal should be for all able-bodied employees finish the 5K within 30 minutes. I’d like to see all firefighters and all police officers not on duty show up for this event.
For all those teachers and school staff who encourage their students to do their homework regularly, I’d like to see faculty and administrators show up and challenge their students and their families to participate. Now that we have a national initiative for awareness of childhood obesity, the Glendale Unified School District and Glendale Community College should set goals to have all their able-bodied students take part in the event as well.
In my mind, they should be able to run a mile in less than 10 minutes as a condition to participate in graduation ceremonies. To this end, they could all sign a voluntary contract to formalize that commitment.
We should all be grateful to the Glendale Adventist Medical Center for their leadership and initiative in public health. What better way to lower the public’s blood pressure than to reduce the anger and frustration of the current health debate with a daily 30-minute walk or run?
HERBERT MOLANO
