Tallassee’s Community Hospital, since 2007, has been doing its part to make the community a little healthier. By participating in the Scale Back Alabama program the Hospital – it’s staff and administrators – had hoped to become a jumping off point for residents to hold true to their New Year’s resolutions. But, over the years, they began to lose the battle of the bulge.
“We’ve seen the number of people participating decline,” said Beth Nelson, a registered nurse and one of Community Hospital’s Scale Back Alabama officials. “We’ve been a public weigh-in site in the past, but there wasn’t a lot of participation from the community as well as in our own hospital.”
According to www.AmericanHealthRankings.com, Alabama is ranked 43 in obesity ahead of Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi (tied for 49th).
“By getting this out there that we are a weigh-in site, we are trying to re-energize everyone in the hospital and the community and get them involved,” said Nelson. “We are hoping they will jumpstart those New Year’s Resolutions and have a chance at winning some money along the way.
Scale Back Alabama is a statewide campaign held the first of each year to encourage Alabamians to get healthier by losing weight and exercising. The 10-week weight loss competition began in 2007 as a means of encouraging the state’s adults to exercise more and eat less. The contest is sponsored by Alabama Hospital Association, Alabama Public Health, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. Community Hospital will host the Scale Back Alabama program and provide a public weigh-in site. Weigh-In will be held January 19th-23rd from 8:00am-4:30pm and Weigh-Out will be April 6th-10th from 8:00am-4:30pm in the Employee Health Office located in the lobby of Community Hospital. All weights will be kept confidential.
The rules are simple. Each team must have TWO participants ages 18 and older. You must weigh-in and weigh-out at the same official site. All individuals and teams that lose at least ten pounds are entered into the final state drawing for cash prizes. All teams on which both members lose at least ten pounds will be entered into a Grand Prize Drawing; Three teams will get $1,000 per team member, three teams will get $500 per team member, and three teams will get $250 per team member. There will be forty $100 cash prizes for individuals who lose at least 10 pounds, regardless of the other team member’s loss.
“I’ve done it in the past and I like the way that Scale Back is done,” said Nelson. “It’s not about competing against each other, it’s about teams working together and encouraging each other to become healthier. And, if you lose 10 pounds, you’re put into a drawing. They encourage you to do the best you can because it is a 10-week program.
For more information please log on to www.scalebackalabama .com or contact Nelson or Tammy Ingram at Community Hospital (334)283-3842 with any questions