Piedmont Newnan Hospital employee Betsy Jackson, has been awarded the 2007 Metro Atlanta Heart Walk Lifestyle Change Award from the American Heart Association. Jackson,who is director of risk management at Piedmont Newnan Hospital, was nominated for the award by Ginny Lyles, vice president of human resources.

The Heart Walk's Lifestyle Change Award helps employers recognize employees who make changes that improve their quality of life and health. Winners are chosen based on personal achievements such as weight loss, lower blood pressure, more energy, etc.

"I was so thrilled to receive this award. By changing my lifestyle I was able to get my blood pressure, weight and cholesterol all within a normal range," said Jackson. "It is such a good feeling to know that I had the chance to actually lead by example in my employee health role."

As the director of employee health at Piedmont Newnan Hospital, Jackson developed several employee wellness initiatives called REACH (Real Employees Addressing Challenges & Health) that contributed to her winning the award. These initiatives were fun ways for employees to live healthier lives through proper diet and exercise. In order to promote the programs, Jackson personally adopted the lifestyle changes. She changed her eating habits and began a regular exercise program which resulted in weight loss. She became the role model for all of the REACH participants.

"The REACH programs I developed were much more than losing weight," said Jackson. "The programs over the last few years dealt with stress reduction, nutrition, exercise and even smoking cessation. There was something for everyone."

Jackson received the award at the Metro Atlanta Heart Walk ceremonies in Piedmont Park. She was a member of one of the Piedmont Newnan Hospital walking teams, called the "The Heart Beats" that raised nearly $3,500 for the Heart Walk.

"Betsy became a role model for all of the department directors at the hospital. At meetings, she would bring healthy snack choices and encouraged everyone else to avoid the potato chips! She is an inspiration to us all, by not only teaching the healthy lifestyle but also living the healthy lifestyle," said Lyles.

Jackson served as the director of employee health at Piedmont Newnan Hospital until September when she was promoted to the director of risk management.

For more information about Piedmont Newnan Hospital, visit www.piedmontnewnan.org.

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