The chilly weather didn’t dampen the spirits of Take a Hike Day participants on Wednesday, April 2. Over 50 employees braved cool, misty weather to walk or jog around Fort Detrick during their lunch hours. “The Take a Hike Day is [a way] to encourage everyone to get up and get moving,” said Sarah Hooper, RN, manager of Occupational Health Services (OHS). “OHS and the R&W partnered to encourage employees to engage in physical activity to improve their health.”

Terri Bray believes that talking to people is the only way to find out what they need to accomplish their goals in a safe and secure environment.

February is American Heart Month, and Feb. 7 was designated “National Wear Red Day” by the American Heart Association. The American Heart Association has sponsored the “Go Red for Women” campaign for 10 years. The message: heart disease is the number one killer of women. Did you know that more women die of heart disease than men?  In fact, it is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. Over the years, the red dress has become the symbol of the fight against heart disease in women.

Whether in a research laboratory or an operations environment, past performance is frequently reviewed to plan for future improvements. Such was the case last year when management recognized the need to change the policy on the minimum set of personal protective equipment to be worn in the laboratories to reduce both the number and consequence of injuries at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.

Occupational Health Services and the Recreation and Welfare (R&W) Club Frederick teamed up for the first Take a Hike Day at NCI at Frederick on November 21. Employees were encouraged to hike, walk, jog, or run the 1.3-mile course around Fort Detrick. “For those employees who walk all the time, the event gave them a partner to walk with, and for those that do not walk all the time, it gave inspiration that 1.3 miles was not a formidable distance,” said Sarah Hooper, manager of Occupational Health Services.