Providence Hospitals Participates in National Run at Work Day

Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals employees will participate in the first National Run at Work Day at noon on Friday, September 22.

Sponsored nationally by the Road Runners Club of America and locally by the Columbia Running Club, the event encourages physical activity and healthy living. Participants can choose to walk or run a designated three-mile or one-mile course on both the downtown and Northeast campuses of the hospital system.

“Promoting good health is part of the mission of Providence,” says CEO & President Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA. “We encourage our employees to participate in Run at Work Day as part of a national movement to get people to incorporate exercise into their daily routines.”

Columbia Running Club President Rick Gibbons says National Run at Work Day is a great opportunity for large and small companies in the Midlands to promote a healthy lifestyle. He says, “Running is one of the easiest ways to get and stay fit. All you really need is a good pair of running shoes. The Columbia Running Club and the Road Runner Club of America hopes that this event will be huge boost to our running community.”

Providence expects between 40 and 50 employees will participate in this first-time event. All participants will receive free T-shirts and water bottles.

In 1997, the Road Runners Club of America founded the National Run to Work Day. The purpose of the event was to get runners to leave their cars at home and run to and from work. While the event was successful in cities with well developed pedestrian networks and mass transit, the organization realized that running to work was probably not feasible for most of the working population. This year’s National Run at Work Day is an evolution of the National Run to Work Day.

Owned by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Augustine (CSA) Health System, Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals is known statewide for its compassionate care. Our non-profit organization is licensed for 304 beds and is comprised of four entities: Providence Hospital, Providence Heart & Vascular Institute, Providence Hospital Northeast and Providence Orthopaedic & NeuroSpine Institute. A faith-based health care facility in the Midlands area of South Carolina, Providence employs more than 1,900 caring individuals.