February 24, 2006

Be Fit celebrates one-year anniversary

Since the inception of the Be Fit program at the hospital one year ago, many MGHers have made the commitment to live a healthy lifestyle. Co-sponsored by The Clubs at Charles River Park and MGH Nutrition and Food Services, the program helps employees and staff to incorporate exercise and eating nutritious food into their lifestyles. With the help of Be Fit, participants in the first four phases have completed 17,747 workouts, eaten 1,426 Be Fit meals and lost an incredible 2,187 pounds.

These achievements were honored at an anniversary rally, held Feb. 14 in the Bigelow Amphitheater. At the rally, 12 Be Fit "all-stars" were honored for their exceptional commitment to living a healthy lifestyle, demonstrated while participating in the program. The Be Fit phase I all-stars are Edward "Doc"Emde of Environmental Services, Bob Gallagher of Buildings and Grounds, and Ahcene Gherbi of Nutrition and Food Services. All-stars from Be Fit phase II are Erin Cox of Clinical Nursing Services, Ann Prestipino of MGH Administration and Susan Streeter of Social Services. The Be Fit phase III all-stars are Lisa Couto of the Cancer Center, Dennis Picareillo of Police and Security and Michael Small of Radiology. All-stars from Be Fit phase IV are Edie Sinagra of Urology, Kathy DeVito also of Urology, and Donna Frost of the Nutritional Support Unit.

Awards for the Be Fit IV teams also were presented at the rally. The Bulfinch Administration/Practice Support Unit team received the "Most Spirited" award. The "Most Motivated" award went to Urology, while MGH Information Systems took home the "Most Improved" award. The MassGeneral Hospital for Children team received the "Little Engine that Could, Should and Would" award for their persistence and dedication to the program. Case Management was recognized with the award for "Most Weight Loss,"and the Knight Nursing Center was honored with two awards, one for the "Most Workouts" and the second for "Most Be Fit Meals."

Six new teams — Thoracic Surgery, Obstetrics, Admitting, the Clinical Case Management Unit, Pharmacy and the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care — now are competing in Be Fit phase V. For more information about Be Fit, visit www.massgeneral.org/clubsatcrp/befit.