Freeholder Patricia Walsh, Wellness Committee liaison, is pleased to announce that Somerset County employees will participate in National Walk@Lunch Day® at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30.

Also participating in the event will be Freeholder Director Patrick Scaglione, who plans to join employees at 11:45 a.m. in front of the Somerset County Historic Courthouse in Somerville.

“Fitting exercise into your daily routine can make a big difference in your overall health,” said Freeholder Director Scaglione. “I look forward to joining county employees on Wednesday for some lunchtime activity.”

“Being active and making healthy lifestyle choices is an important part of wellness and prevention,” said Freeholder Patricia Walsh, Wellness Committee liaison. “Celebrating National Walk at Lunch Day will be a fun way for employees to take a breather from work and incorporate exercise into their day. I hope other organizations in Somerset County will encourage their employees to do the same.”

The Somerset County Wellness Committee is coordinating one-mile walks at four different locations.  Employees will begin gathering at 11:45 a.m. at the steps of the Somerset County Historic Courthouse in Somerville, in front of the Emergency Services Training Academy in Hillsborough, at the Somerset County Park Commission headquarters in North Branch Park and at the entrance of Richard Hall Community Mental Health Center, located on North Bridge Street in Bridgewater.

Established in 2012, the Somerset County Employee Wellness Committee is dedicated to improving and maintaining the general health and well-being of all employees.  The goal of the Wellness Committee is to promote greater health awareness by providing information, activities and services designed to support healthy life choices.  Recently, the committee, in partnership with EmPoWER Somerset, coordinated a 5K race at Duke Farms for over 300 participants.

Somerset County Government has been selected as a finalist in the Workplace Wellness Hero category in the 2014 Healthcare Heroes awards program sponsored by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey Hospital Association, NJBiz, Comcast Business, MD On-line, Comcast Spotlight and WithumSmith+Brown, PC. Somerset County was also recognized as a finalist in the 2013 awards program.

National Walk@Lunch Day® is part of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s national public wellness and education effort to help Americans live healthier lives and reduce unnecessary medical costs due to physical inactivity.  It is designed to complement, not compete with, employee’s daily work schedules. The state-wide organizer for this national health and wellness event is Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.