The American Heart Association, the leading voluntary health organization focused on heart and brain health for all, is inviting Maryland to its premier event to boost physical and mental health through healthy habits while supporting the lifesaving mission.
On Oct. 8, 2022, starting at 8 a.m., Greater Maryland area Heart Walk participants and teams are invited to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium to celebrate heart and stroke survivors, raise lifesaving funds and encourage physical activity.
The 2022 Heart Walk is chaired by Stacia Cohen, Executive Vice President for Health Services of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.
“Everybody has a heart, and we all need them to work well,” says Cohen, whose family has a long history of heart disease.
“With heart disease and stroke still a leading cause of both morbidity and mortality, I think that not making meaningful progress in heart health and stroke health will continue to strain the resources and the burden that people face – not just the economic burden, but the quality-of-life burden; feeling of good health, joy and participation of life,” she adds. “The American Heart Association is a leader in that space, with its funding of research leading to improvements in treatment over the last several decades.”
The Greater Maryland Heart Walk is the signature event of the American Heart Association’s Heart Challenge program which is designed to help companies positively impact employee overall health and wellbeing. The program is anchored in a series of customizable workplace events that inspires employees to be more engaged, reconnect with colleagues, get in their physical activity, support a great cause and have a lot of fun doing it.
To register, visit greatermarylandheartwalk.org. From there, participants can stay up to date by downloading the Heart Walk mobile app and encourage friends and family to join in via e-mail or on social media, using the hashtag, #MDHeartWalk.
The funds raised from the Greater Maryland Heart Walk go towards research, advocacy, CPR training and to promote better health in support of the Association’s 2024 Health Equity Impact Goal, reducing barriers to health care access and quality. Visit www2.heart.org to learn more.
The 2022 Greater Maryland Heart Walk is sponsored by LifeBridge Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, MedStar Health, the University of Maryland Medical System and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, among other local sponsors.