MEGHAN McCOY Cape Coral Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Scott Kashman walked with an employee Wednesday afternoon during the first “Walk with the Leaders” event, which attracted almost 50 employees who walked a mile within the hospital. The event is a part of the Lee Memorial Health System’s exercise campaign.

Almost 50 employees at Cape Coral Hospital gathered in the lobby Wednesday to participate in a one mile walk, a part of the Lee Memorial Health System’s exercise campaign.

Lee Memorial Health System Vice President of Health and Wellness Dr. Sal Lacagnina said the exercise campaign began in January for employees to help them become role models for healthy living. He said their employees are not necessarily any healthier than the general public, which is why the walk was held Wednesday.

Lacagnina said it is easy to integrate exercise into your everyday life because it can be done in 10 minute segments throughout the day, instead of all at once.

Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center, Lee Memorial Hospital and the Santa Barbara Professional Building employees will also have walks at their facilities. The next walk will be held at Gulf Coast Medical Center next Thursday.

He said he hopes to hold the walk at least once a week at every facility and eventually every day.

Complimentary pedometers were given to the first 30 employees Wednesday afternoon at Cape Coral Hospital before the walk began.

Cape Coral Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Scott Kashman was the first in line Wednesday as employees gathered behind him in stride as they made their way from the main lobby entrance to the Medical Office Center and back four times to complete one mile.

Some had tennis shoes on, while others walked in high heels as they mingled with those walking beside them.

Lacagnina wore his pedometer during the walk, which told him he made 3,300 steps once the mile was completed.

Vice President of Patient Care Services Wendy Piascik, Lacagnina and Kashman were the first three to run across the threshold as they completed their mile walk Wednesday with huge smiles on their faces.

“This is great,” Kashman said about the walk. “We will continue to do this every Wednesday.”

He said that next week he is going to show up wearing shorts and a T-shirt instead of a suit for the mile walk.

Kashman said that in the medical field, everyone is busy taking care of others instead of focusing on their own health.

“We need to take care of ourselves,” he said.

After everyone gathered back in the main lobby they all voted to continue the walk every Wednesday at 12:05 p.m., which was coined the “Hump Day Hustle” by an employee.

Auxiliary volunteers Pat and Ron Strabel also participated in the walk Wednesday because they were already at the hospital serving popcorn.

“We were here,” Ron said, adding that the walk began about the time they wrap up the popcorn station.

Pat said she is always in tennis shoes and ready to go, so they figured they would participate.

“It is a great idea just to get people up and motivated and moving,” Pat said.

Exercise has become a huge part of the couple’s lives once they retired, so they can keep their bones strong and prevent breaks from happening.

Ron said they go for a bike ride about two or three times a week for an hour at a time.

Ron said employers needed to do this years ago to get people up and moving.

He hopes other employers will take the campaign as an incentive and say we need to do this because it pays off in the long run.

He said that he has saved $200 with insurance since he began logging how much time he spends exercising and taking nutritional type classes with the company he retired from.

The couple said as long as Cape Coral Hospital holds the walks on Wednesdays they will participate.