Mall-Walking Kick-Off Event Set for September 25

September 5, 2001, Oak Lawn, IL— Advocate Christ Medical Center will offer free, regularly scheduled lectures and occasional health screenings as part of the Ford City Mall Walkers Program, which begins with a kick-off event at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Ford City Mall Food Court, 7601 S. Cicero Ave., Chicago.

Mark Parsons, an exercise physiologist in cardiovascular services at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., will give tips on starting an exercise program, and medical center health-care staff will offer blood-pressure screenings, as part of the kick-off activities.

Participation in the Ford City Mall Walkers Program is free and open to the public. Persons who have heart-related problems, have been participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program or have other health risks should talk to their physician before beginning the walking program.

Program registration is available now at the Ford City Mall Customer Service Center, located in Center Court. At the kick-off event, each participant will receive a special tee shirt to be worn while walking in the mall. Recommended mall walking hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily, prior to the start of regular mall shopping hours.

As part of the program, health-care staff at Christ Medical Center will offer regularly scheduled lectures at the mall. Speakers will address a variety of topics, including breast cancer, diabetes, skin cancer detection and healthy eating. Health screenings, such as glucose testing and mail-in colorectal-cancer exams, will be available in conjunction with some of the lectures.

Registered mall walkers can pick up a calendar of program events at the mall and also may receive discounts at participating Ford City Mall stores.

National statistics indicate that nearly 80 million Americans walk as their primary fitness activity. “Fitness walking” strengthens the heart and improves its efficiency; controls appetite, while burning calories and fat; enhances muscular strength, including the strength of ligaments, tendons and cartilage; speeds metabolism; and increases self-esteem.

Advocate Christ Medical Center is a 662-bed institution that is part of the Advocate Health Care system. The medical center is one of Illinois' largest, most comprehensive providers of health care for the heart and is nationally recognized for its use of innovative technologies, such as robotics, and advanced procedures in the treatment of heart disease.

In calendar year 2000, Christ Medical Center surgeons performed 1,749 open-heart surgeries, including 1,392 adult-heart operations and 357 pediatric-heart surgeries.