Hy-Vee Steps Out for Healthiest State Walk

More than 100 Hy-Vee stores will take part in the second Healthiest State Walk this Wednesday, part of the effort to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds are calling on Iowans throughout the state to complete a one-kilometer walk on Oct. 3 to show their support for the Healthiest State Initiative, the public-private partnership designed to lift Iowa to the top of the nation’s health rankings by 2016. Hy-Vee stores and pharmacies in Iowa are assisting in the effort by organizing walks in their communities and offering prizes to encourage individuals, businesses and schools to participate.

In 2011, more than 291,000 Iowans took part in 5,645 Start Somewhere Walks to kick off the five-year Healthiest State Initiative. Helen Eddy, Hy-Vee’s assistant VP of health and wellness, and executive director of the Healthiest State Initiative, said the Start Somewhere walks were instrumental in raising awareness of the campaign and the need for Iowans to improve their health.

“We know a one-kilometer walk, in and of itself, isn’t going to have a big impact on an individual’s health,” Eddy said. “But when hundreds of thousands of Iowans join their neighbors and co-workers and classmates to walk together, it sends a powerful message about our commitment to making Iowa the healthiest state.”