Manning, Iowa — It really comes as no surprise that individuals in our society are carrying a mountain of stress, tension and depression on their shoulders. The administration at Manning Regional Healthcare Center (MRHC) has seen how these negative attributes carry over into the workplace as well and began looking at ways to counteract it. Marketing Coordinator, Sarah Foley cited a recent study showing how outdoor exercise has a greater effect on the reduction of tension, confusion, anger and depression than indoor activity and that workers who spent just two and a half hours a week being physically active were more satisfied with their work. An idea from the Iowa Department of Public Health got the group thinking, and with a little tweaking they were ready to introduce an outdoor hill workout right in their own back yard. MRHC is sponsoring a climb Mt. Everest program in which they climb or hike the equivalent of Mt. Everest’s summit by climbing the hill behind the facilities west campus. Foley said that in order to reach the 29,029 feet of Everest, employees will need to climb the MRHC hill roughly twenty two times. Employees will be on an honor system to track their climbs and will be provided a poster to track their milestones. John O’Brien, CEO of Manning Regional Healthcare Center, said they were looking for ways to provide this type of opportunity to their employees by encouraging them to get up and be active during the day and have fun doing it. And this program, he added, is just that.
