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Summer/Fall 2016
HOSPITAL SPOTLIGHTS
ASANTE THREE RIVERS MEDICAL CENTER | WILLAMETTE VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER
SKY LAKES MEDICAL CENTER | PEACE HEALTH | BAY AREA HOSPITAL
GOOD SHEPHERD HEALTH CARE SYSTEM | SAMARITAN HEALTH SERVICES | SALEM HEALTH
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Walking for Health
WILLAMETTE VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER’S WALK WITH EASE PROGRAM ENCOURAGES STAYING ACTIVE WITH ARTHRITIS
For the past six years, the Joint Replacement Institute of
Oregon has provided care for patients undergoing hip and
knee replacement surgery at
Willamette Valley Medical
Center
in McMinnville. Key components of this program
include early mobilization after surgery and emphasis on
health and wellness. Natalie Reed, a physical therapist and
the program’s manager, believes the emphasis on mobility
and health has completely revolutionized recovery after
surgery.
“Eight years ago, we would have been happy to get a patient
out of bed and into a chair for lunch the day after surgery,”
said Reed. “Now patients are up walking the day of surgery
and most go home the next day.”
As a physical therapist, Reed has long believed that many
health conditions and pain management issues could be
significantly improved if people simply moved more. This
belief and her experience working with patients with
arthritis led Reed to a program through the Arthritis
Foundation called Walk with Ease.
According to the Arthritis Foundation, walking is one of
the safest and most beneficial forms of exercise for people
with arthritis and other chronic health conditions. Walk
with Ease is an 18-class program, taught two or three
times a week, that has been shown to reduce the pain and
discomfort of arthritis while increasing balance, strength
and walking pace. Each class includes a mini-lecture
about arthritis and time for both walking and stretching.
Participants adjust the program to their individual needs
and fitness levels. Participants also receive a Walk with Ease
book which provides additional information and resources.
Reed became certified to teach the course through online
training and taught her first class to McMinnville-
area residents in last September. Her first class had 15
participants; her fourth session, which started in June, had
over 30 sign-ups.
“This is a great community outreach program,” Reed said.
“We are able to offer the class free to participants and have
partnered with both the McMinnville Community Center
and McMinnville Senior Center. Several people have noted
improvement in their walking endurance, overall
health and pain management.”
Dr. Jacqueline Eriksen, a family medicine
physician in McMinnville, agrees. “I have the class
information posted in all of my patient rooms.
One of my patients was struggling with her health
so I encouraged her to sign up. At that time, I was
seeing her monthly in the clinic and she could
barely walk a block. Now she can walk more than
a mile and she comes in only every few months for
care.”
Carrol and Roy Bowerman, a married couple,
attend the class together to stay accountable
to their walking program. “It is hard to stay
consistent on your own; we get caught up with
other things at home and with our property. With
this class we schedule time to walk,” said Carol.
H
Walk with Ease participants pose for a photo at Willamette Valley Medical Center.