WVU Medicine, Ogden Wellness Weekend Make Ideal Partnership | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo by Derek Redd – From left, Wheeling Newspapers Operations Manager Brian Clutter, Wheeling Newspapers Special Events Coordinator Joe Lovell and Douglass Harrison, CEO of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital, look over information for the 2022 Ogden Wellness Weekend Presented By WVU Medicine.

WHEELING — In stepping up as the presenting sponsor for the Ogden Wellness Weekend, WVU Medicine looks at that partnership as a hand-in-glove fit.

“If you look at what our mission is, it’s wellness,” said Douglass Harrison, CEO of both WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital. “As a health care provider we have focused a lot of our attention over the last two years on COVID and acute problems associated with COVID. But at the heart of what we do, it’s wellness and it’s to keep people out of the hospital.”

Physical fitness is a key element to overall wellness, and people from the Ohio Valley and beyond will be able to get that fitness fix this Memorial Day weekend in the 2022 Ogden Wellness Weekend Presented By WVU Medicine. On May 28-29, the city of Wheeling will be the epicenter of physical activity for participants across the full spectrum of age and fitness levels.

People will be able to traverse various distances and navigate different obstacles based on which event or events they choose to join. All of them, Harrison said, come back to the same underlying principle – keeping people healthy.

“We’re right in February and right in Healthy Heart Month,” Harrison said. “And part of that healthy heart is physical activity and some sort of cardio exercise — walking, jogging, marathons, whatever that may be — we’ve got to get people back to physical activity.”

The organizers of Ogden Wellness Weekend Presented By WVU Medicine agree that this partnership is a perfect one, bringing together the premiere weekend for physical activity in the Ohio Valley with a health system that serves communities throughout the Northern Panhandle and Ohio.

“We appreciate WVU Medicine’s support of The Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend, as it shows the depth of their ongoing commitment to the Ohio Valley and its residents,” said Perry Nardo, general manager of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. “The vision of The Wellness Weekend is to spotlight the advantages of leading a healthy lifestyle. WVU Medicine and the programs it offers to support this concept will be on full display for the Ohio Valley at the Wellness Expo.”

The weekend includes several different events that test the mettle of those who participate. The 44th running of the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic will happen Saturday, May 28, with the walk starting at 7:30 a.m. and the run starting at 8 a.m. On Sunday, May 29, the Tough As Nails Urban Challenge presented by The Health Plan – an urban obstacle race that sends contestants over, around and through various city landmarks – kicks off at noon.

For those looking for a less intense outlet to get the blood flowing, the Ogden Newspapers 5K Run presented by Ziegenfelder will start at 8:10 a.m. May 28, with the Ogden Newspapers 5K Walk presented by Ziegenfelder following at 8:20 a.m. For the younger set, there will be a Fun Run presented by Ziegenfelder at 8:25 a.m. May 28 and a Tiny Tot Trot presented by Ziegenfelder at 10:30 a.m.

Harrison said that WVU Medicine sees the Ogden Wellness Weekend as a wonderful opportunity to focus on the community as a whole and offer opportunities for the community’s members to get and stay in shape.

“I think (the event) really defines who we are as a community, that we look at all ages across the spectrum and try to tailor something toward every age group and everyone’s wants and interests,” Harrison said. “At the end of the day, it’s about getting outside, being active and being healthy. And so this community, through this weekend event, really pulls together as a community for this event and we want to, as the leading healthcare provider in this region, be a part of that.”