Walk Washington: Department of Health encourages people to get moving
Barbara Miller/Observer-Reporter
Isaac Puskarich, aided by Nicole Vankirk and Jacob Phillips, stabilized a sign featuring a map of a one-mile route around Washington. They were part of a Dreamers Co. mission working along South Main Street in Washington.
Barbara Miller/Observer-Reporter
Washington was one of four communities selected by the state Department of Health as a “WalkWorks” affiliate.
Someone without a smart phone or paper map who wants to take a mile-long trek around downtown Washington has a new point of reference.
Washington was one of four communities selected last November to participate in “WalkWorks,” a partnership of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and the state Department of Health.
“As a WalkWorks partner, the city of Washington was tasked with engaging community members to assist with the identification of a one- to two-mile walking route as a way to expand opportunities for physical activity,” wrote April L. Hutcheson, communications director for the health department in Harrisburg, in an email.
Signs along the 1.1-mile route highlight Washington & Jefferson College; the home and doctor’s office of abolitionist leader Francis J. LeMoyne; home of Whiskey Rebellion leader David Bradford, now a museum; the Washington County Courthouse, and a pavilion dedicated to local veterans of the armed forces.
Those who have smart phones can use Walker Tracker, a web-based tracking tool for logging steps.
As of Monday, Washington was not yet listed on the state Department of Health’s WalkWorks website, which includes routes in 14 counties, such as Allegheny, Fayette and Beaver.
The program started in the summer of 2017 as a way to promote health in the long run – or walk.
Washington County has also posted signs around the Courthouse Square noting that 13 laps around its plaza equals one mile.