Healthy Feet on the Street
Healthy Feet on the Street
New wellness program helps downtown staff put best foot forward
Downtown Tucson, AZ – Keeping downtown Tucson clean, safe and well-maintained requires a lot of boots on the ground. That’s why Downtown Tucson Partnership has partnered with El Rio Community Health to launch a new staff wellness program, Healthy Feet on the Street.
“The health and well-being of our staff is very important to us,” said Kathleen Eriksen, President & CEO of the Downtown Tucson Partnership. “Our maintenance and safety staff are on the streets of downtown 24 hours a day, every day of the year. It’s not uncommon for our staff to put in a good 10,000 steps in the first few hours of their shift. We want to make sure all our staff is wearing proper footwear and that their podiatry needs are identified and addressed to avoid serious mobility issues.”
On July 16, all 20 Safety & Maintenance staff visited El Rio’s downtown campus, HealthOn Broadway, for a screening by Dr. Natalie T. Hua, a podiatric foot and ankle surgery specialist with Tucson Orthopedic Institute. In addition, staff received a general health screening that included a blood pressure check, as well as referral assistance for any other health concerns they might have.
“The Downtown Tucson Partnership staff are great partners with our HealthOn Broadway Team in keeping downtown active, beautiful and safe,” said Nancy Johnson, CEO of El Rio Community Health. “They are always busy and need to be sure to take time for their own health and wellness.”
She said the idea behind HealthOn Broadway is to create a “health home” for everyone living and working downtown, with convenient hours and same-day care.
“The opportunity to provide these screenings is a great example of that vision in action,” she said.
Each staff member left the screening with a pedometer and a recommendation for proper footwear. To make that happen, Downtown Tucson Partnership gave the staff stipends for new professional-grade work boots.
Russ Stone, Safety & Maintenance Manager, said it was a fantastic experience for him and his staff and that it was a real morale booster. “The podiatrist guided me toward a new type of boots, which I got, and they feel great,” he said.
More information about the Downtown Tucson Partnership can be found here.
DTP Media Contact: Zach Baker, Marketing & Communications Manager
520.268.9034, zach@downtowntucson.org