His name is Dr. Reginald Eadie, he’s the CEO of two major hospitals in Detroit . . . and right now he’s hoping against hope that you’ll circle the date of October 31 on your kitchen calendar.
That’s the day when Dr. Eadie and his colleagues at DMC Harper University Hospital and DMC Hutzel Women’s Hospital will kick off their annual “DMC 61 Day Challenge” throughout the Detroit metro region.
The goal: to inspire and motivate hundreds of thousands of Detroit-area residents to make better choices about nutrition and exercise . . . by abstaining from soda pop, fried foods and sugary “junk” foods – while also agreeing to engage in moderate exercise several times each week.
For the upbeat Dr. Eadie, who never stops preaching the gospel of “education about the vital importance of good nutrition and exercise in achieving good health,” the 2014 61 Day Challenge is an event worth getting excited about.
“Everybody who knows me knows that I’m extremely passionate on the subject of improving our public health,” says Dr. Eadie, who’s a board-certified emergency medicine physician in addition to serving as CEO of both Harper and Hutzel. “As a hospital administrator, I witness the harmful effects of obesity and lack of exercise every single day of the week.”
“Here in Detroit, we continue to struggle with soaring rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and even some types of cancer – all of which are directly tied to nutrition and exercise issues. And those issues stem from the lifestyle choices all of us make day in and day out.”
“The DMC 61 Day Challenge is the Detroit Medical Center’s way of saying we care about this community. We care about the people we take care of each day at the eight different hospitals that make up the DMC. And we care about our children – too many of whom are developing what can easily become lifelong health problems by not eating properly and not exercising enough.”
As described by Dr. Eadie – an eastside Detroiter during his early years who later attended the Wayne State University School of Medicine and went on to serve as president of four different DMC hospitals – the challenge is “a voluntary, self-help education program designed to motivate all of us to make better food and exercise choices – especially during the holiday season, when we’re more often tempted to over-eat.”
Conceived several years ago by Dr. Eadie and a few of his hard-charging medical colleagues at the DMC, the yearly health challenge will run from November 1 through December 31.
Based on the rallying cry “Less Sugar, More Steps,” the challenge also calls for each participant to “educate at least one other person on how to live a healthier lifestyle.”
The 2014 challenge will begin with a special “Kickoff Event” on October 31, featuring Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, DMC CEO Joe Mullany and more than a dozen supporting organizations (aka “Community Partners”). This year’s kickoff shindig – free and open to the public – will take place in the Kresge Auditorium at DMC Harper University Hospital, 3990 John R in Detroit, between two and four p.m. [To learn more about the event, visit www.61dayhealthchallenge.com].
Describing the approaching challenge, the relentlessly focused and energetic Dr. Eadie says he’s determined to help make it a hallowed Detroit-area tradition.
“If you ask me where my heart lies as a doctor,” he noted during a recent interview, “I will answer you with a single word: education! And the education I’m most interested in right now is all about the relationship between disease and food choices.”
“You know, everyone’s talking about finding a cure for cancer, and everyone’s trying to go after diabetes. But I want to go after the root of the problem – the lack of education about nutrition and exercise and about how sugar-rich foods like soda pop can contribute to obesity and heart disease and all the rest.
“For me, the DMC 61 Day Challenge is a wonderful way to bring the entire Detroit-area community together to celebrate our commitment to learning more about our lifestyle choices and our good health.
“I can’t wait for the kickoff event on October 31 – and I hope the auditorium at DMC Harper University Hospital will be jammed to the rafters, as we launch this exciting campaign to educate ourselves about ways to improve our health!”
About Post Author
