Hopkins Clinicians Pledge Healthy Lifestyle
by Danielle Burcham
Nurses and physicians at Johns Hopkins are making a unique promise: to live the healthy lifestyle they recommend to their patients.
“Do as I do,” is the mantra for more than 230 nurses, students, and faculty from The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and medicine who signed the collaborative Patient Promise effort. They are now engaging in regular physical activity, eating a balanced diet, and working alongside patients to adopt positive lifestyle changes. Their oath recognizes that a clinician’s health behavior affects patients’ health behaviors.
“We’re glad to see the enthusiasm behind the initiative,” says Shiv Gaglani, the JHUSOM student who first
introduced Patient Promise to the Johns Hopkins Doctors and Nurses Alliance (DNA). The initiative has since been adopted by JHUSON students Erika Koff, Lauren McGivern, Hilary Carroll, and Lisa Garrett, who have aligned the ideas with those of the School of Nursing’s own SON Fit Program that promotes healthy work and learning environments.
At a recent Patient Promise kick-off event, nursing and medical students gathered to sign the promise, listen to Hopkins leaders speak about preventative medicine and healthy behaviors, and hear student testimonials about incorporating healthy lifestyles into stressful schedules. SON Fit representatives Lisa Garrett and Yvone Commodore-Mesah ran blood pressure screenings, and attendees munched on healthy snacks.
The Hopkins group has gone to the American Medical Association conference to spread awareness, and over 300 health professionals have already signed the Promise. Future plans include a presentation at the American Nursing Association and visits with other related organizations and the Johns Hopkins faculty and staff.
To sign the Patient Promise, visit www.thepatientpromise.org
