ADDED — The Ogden Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine will add this year the WVU Medicine Health Expo on Saturday and Sunday. — File photo
WHEELING — WVU Medicine wants its relationship with the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend to be a deep and strong one.
So when the organization partnered with race organizers to be the weekend’s presenting sponsor, it decided to add a new facet to the weekend, while remaining devoted to the overall mission of promoting health and wellness.
WVU Medicine will host a Health Expo May 28, and May 29, at WesBanco Arena to coincide with the runnings of both the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic that Saturday and the Tough As Nails Urban Challenge presented by the Health Plan that Sunday.
Saturday’s expo hours will run from 7:30 am-2 pm, with Sunday’s hours running from 11 am-3 pm
Karin Janiszewski, director of corporate communications and public relations for WVU Medicine, said the main purpose of the expo is to raise awareness about what WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial hospitals offer.
“The talent we have, the amazing physicians and physical therapists and nutritionists, these people are great at what they do,” she said. “This is the opportunity for everyone in the Ohio Valley who attends this event to see that.”
Outside WesBanco Arena, WVU Medicine will once again provide what Wheeling Hospital has offered for years during the race weekend – massage tables and post-race assessments for anyone who needs it. Inside the arena, WVU Medicine will have representatives from nutrition services, women’s services, orthopedic and sports medicine and the Heart and Vascular Institute.
When WVU Medicine decided months ago to be part of the Wellness Weekend, and race organizers presented the idea of a health expo, Janiszewski said putting such an event together was a no-brainer.
It’s not just for the runners and urban warriors who will be participating in the weekend’s events, she added. Those who are around downtown wheeling cheering on those participants can also benefit from taking a look around the free expo.
“If you have someone who says, ‘I’m not out there running, but my daughter is, but I may need to get a little healthier,’ we have people who can speak to that health and maybe help get them started,” Janiszewski said.
Perry Nardo, general manager of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, thanked WVU Medicine not only for his commitment to the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend with the Health Expo, but also for his commitment to the overall health and wellness of the Ohio Valley’s residents.
“We are pleased WVU Medicine is joining us this year with the Health Expo. This event will allow those running or walking during the weekend to have access to a number of health care professionals on site who will answer their questions and offer sound advice on health and wellness,” Nardo said.
“We also are excited for the opportunity the WVU Medicine Health Expo gives to those people who aren’t quite ready to participate in any of the Wellness Weekend events. Those folks – whether they are a parent or spouse of a participant or just a community member interested in improving their health – will be able to come downtown over the weekend, enjoy the atmosphere, and talk with WVU Medicine professionals about leading a healthy lifestyle. This is just one more piece of the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend’s mission of promoting health and wellness in our region.”
And that is a mission, Janiszewski said, that WVU Medicine wants to join at its forefront.
“This is a premier event in the Ohio Valley and we want to be part of that,” she said. “We want to be part of the wellness journey. That’s WVU’s mission. We treat the unhealthy and want you to be healthy. What better way to get involved?”
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