Brigham Health, The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation, and Cigna are uniting Greater Boston in a community effort to show support for trauma survivors by taking 100 million steps together during the month of May, National Trauma Awareness Month. The community is invited to Step Up for Stepping Strong by committing to take 4,000, 8,000, or 12,000 steps per day during May and tracking their progress on a free app. When the step total reaches 100 million, Cigna will make a $100,000 donation to fuel trauma research and care at The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Participation is free and easy.
Audrey Epstein Reny, who together with her family, established The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at BWH to honor her daughter Gillian, a survivor of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, notes, “Five years after the Boston Marathon bombings devastated our family and city, we remain steadfast in our efforts to turn tragedy into hope for survivors of traumatic injuries and events. The Step Up for Stepping Strong program is a meaningful way to bring together the whole community in our efforts and reaffirm the spirit of compassion and camaraderie that emerged in our city following the attacks.”
Adds Mark Butler, president of Cigna’s New England market, “Our sponsorship reflects our mission to help improve the health, well-being and sense of security of those we serve and to help create healthier communities where we live and work. Nearly 50,000 employees across the Commonwealth miss significant time from work due to traumatic injury annually. Through this initiative, we can contribute to innovative advances in trauma treatment and recovery to help those in need step strong again.”
Participants can enroll by downloading a free app that will automatically track daily steps progress while providing health and wellness information from Brigham Health and Cigna. All participants are also eligible for weekly prize drawings.
“At Brigham Health, we are committed to maintaining and restoring health for people everywhere,”
says Betsy Nabel, MD, president of Brigham Health. “We are grateful to Cigna for their support in leading a program that will help us promote healthy lifestyles while also advancing our work to fuel innovations that lead to the best possible care for trauma survivors.”
Participants can register between April 1-30 at BWHstepup.org.