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Walk With Us!

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BALTIMORE, MD, and WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 22, 2009) - CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), the mid-Atlantic region's largest not-for-profit health insurer, is asking employers throughout Maryland, Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia to participate in this year's National Walk @ Lunch Day, Wednesday, April 29, and promote workplace wellness.

The event -- with Olympic gold medal gymnist Dominique Dawes and acting Surgeon General Admiral Steven Galson as special guests -- begins at noon, at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW.

"National Walk @ Lunch Day is an easy and fun way to incorporate exercise into a busy work week," said Dr. Jon Shematek, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for CareFirst. "By taking a short time out of the office to stretch and get active, employees can improve their overall health and gain added energy to apply both in and out of the office."

Walking and other healthy activities in the workplace can even save on costs to the bottom line. According to a report in the American Journal of Health Promotion, employers engaging in worksite health promotion programs see an average savings of 26 percent on health costs.*

CareFirst now takes the savings even further with its 10-week "WalkingWorks" challenge. WalkingWorks is a Web-based program that encourages workplace wellness through friendly competition. Access is free to all CareFirst members. Instructions are a click away, at www.carefirst.com/walkingprogram. On the site, participants can find the on-line tracking tool to monitor progress, communication materials to get employees jazzed up about the program, and surveys to give before and after looks at overall health and wellness.

To find more information on National Walk @ Lunch Day, such as helpful planning tips, employee communications templates, media support, and other helpful tools, please visit the employer portal on the CareFirst Web site, at http://www.carefirst.com/employers/html/NationalWalkAtLunchDayHome.html.

Some of the health promotion tools available include information on how to plan a safe and fun walking route, educational materials on the health benefits of incorporating wellness in the workplace, designs for T-shirts, stickers, banners and walking path signs, a rainy day plan, and an overview of the National Walk @ Lunch program.

In its 72nd year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to nearly 3.4 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. Through its CareFirst Commitment initiative and other public mission activities, CareFirst supports efforts to increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas.

* Source: Chapman LS. Meta-evaluation of worksite health promotion economic return studies. The Art of Health Promotion. 2003

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