Page 43 - HCPVitalityChronicles

Making the Case for Wellness: HCP Executive Vice President

Craig Samitt, MD, Leads By Example

Being a proponent of health and percentage of time spent with a per-
wellness is not a new concept to son’s doctor. Who is in the greatest
Craig Samitt, MD, executive vice position to encourage health and fit-
president of HealthCare Partners. ness? It is a great opportunity for
Prior to HCP, while he was at Dean employers.”
Clinic, Dr. Samitt launched a well-
ness initiative that incorporated Encouraging employees to be
classes for employees on topics healthy of course benefits the com-
such as stress reduction, increasing pany as well. “The more we can do
physical activity, smoking cessation to help our workforce to eat, sleep
and alcohol awareness. He is a big and exercise better, the more
believer in employer-based well- chances we will have employees
ness programs, and encourages with us for a long time,” Dr. Samitt
participation in the Vitality wellness said.
program.
To encourage others on their well-
He sees the personal benefits of ness journeys, Dr. Samitt hopes to
eating right and exercising. “I have Craig Samitt, MD, at the Grand Canyon. inspire a healthy lifestyle for all em-
found that being fit improves your life overall in many ployees. He would love to initiate a competition at the ex-
ways,” explained Dr. Samitt, for whom exercise has been a ecutive level to determine the top HCP fitness executive.
top priority for the past 20-some years, since medical He loves hiking and skiing, and has done the P90X program
school. “When I am exercising regularly, I sleep better, ad- three times. He’s currently doing the Insanity workout pro-
here to a healthy diet more easily, and it makes me more gram.
patient at work; you feel better about yourself, more confi-
dent, more calm and focused.” And he knows that every journey begins with a single step.
When he began with P90X, he could barely do the activi-
Yet his reasons for encouraging health and wellness go ties. What motivated him to start the program was the fact
much broader. “Good leaders lead by example. How can I that he tried to climb Camelback Mountain in Arizona and
be the leader of a health care organization and set an ex- he had to turn around and go back. “That was a shock to
ample for employees and patients, unless I engage in this me,” he said. Instead of giving up, every day he tried to do
behavior myself?” he said. a bit more in his exercise routine.

Furthermore, he feels an unfair burden is placed upon “What motivates me is that as I get older, I can see I am not
physicians to tell patients to focus on health and wellness. invincible,” he said. “I’d like to remain as invincible as I can
“It is estimated that people spend nearly 50 percent of for as long as possible, and live a nice, long life, to continue
their waking life at work,” he noted. “Compare this to the to be vital and active for decades to come.”

All information in the Vitality program is HIPAA protected. Members have chosen to share their personal health accomplishments.
For more information about Vitality, visit www.powerofvitality.com. Contact Janet Galli for further program information.