Million Pounds Initiative

Meritus Health sets a ‘bold goal’ for Washington County community

written by LAUREN LAROCCA

When Meritus Medical Center staff and community members gathered to rethink the hospital’s strategic plan for the next decade, they dared to dream big.

Could they set a goal of zero overdose deaths in Washington County by 2030?

Zero suicides?

Could the community lose a million pounds?

After analyzing Washington County statistics via a community health-needs assessment, they knew any of the above would have a great impact on the health of the community. But in what Meritus CEO Dr. Maulik Joshi calls a “strategic planning sprint,” they decided to focus their attention on weight loss and created the Million Pounds Initiative to work toward that goal.

“When you look at our BMI (Body Mass Index) for the county, it is higher than the state average,” said Joshi, who was appointed as CEO of Meritus in November 2019.

“Weight is so connected to health. It’s also something we felt like we could rally a community around; it’s understandable, it’s simple and it connects so many things.”

Dr. Maulik Joshi

Photo courtesy of Meritus Health

Studies have shown that maintaining a healthy weight has myriad benefits for overall health. Weight drives comorbidities, such as diabetes and asthma, Joshi said, and it drives emotional and mental well-being. Being overweight is also connected to some lung and respiratory diseases and, as time has shown, increases risk of complications from a COVID-19 infection.

As part of the Million Pounds Initiative, the team launched Healthy Meritus.

“It all starts at home, right? It starts with our 3,000 employees,” Joshi said. “We are focusing on some major strategies, the first being the food that we provide in our cafeteria.”

As of Jan. 1, the hospital no longer provides full-sugar sodas. Instead, it offers diet, zero-calorie sodas, as well as 100% fruit juice and zero-calorie flavored water. It also serves more plant-based foods and fewer processed foods, which, in some cases, means adding more vegetables to dining room staples like lasagna and soups. The salad bar options have been expanded, too, aiming to go low on fat and high on fruits and vegetables.

“Little things make a big difference,” Joshi said. “Eliminating full-sugar sodas doesn’t seem like a big deal, but everything helps. One of our security (officers) stopped me a month later and said ‘thank you’ because he’d lost five pounds in a month. He used to drink Coca-Colas, and just by stopping that, he lost weight.”

Joshi is partial to the turkey and Gouda sandwich on cauliflower thins, he said, “which is probably saving 30 calories a sandwich — and it’s great!”

A sampling of the Meritus Hospital cafeteria salad bar. Options have been expanded, aiming to go low on fat and high on fruits and vegetables.

File photo

Increasing activity, managing stress

Healthy Meritus also focuses on increasing physical activity, as well as stress management, the latter of which is a particularly important piece of the puzzle during the intensity of the pandemic. Stress also is related to weight. Meritus now offers decompression rooms - aka tranquility rooms - for people to recharge and get a little respite.

Part of the decade-long goal is for more than 40% of employees and Washington County residents to attain a BMI of less than 25 by fiscal year 2023.

Meanwhile, Healthy Washington County, a local health care-improvement coalition formed in March 2015, will assist the county in reaching its community-wide goals. Meritus, the Washington County Health Department and many public and private partners have been working together as Healthy Washington County and will continue to do so in support of the Million Pounds Initiative.

Healthy Washington County acts as the umbrella organization for businesses, organizations and other groups that need resources and connections to participate. For instance, an employer might want to implement a workplace wellness program, or perhaps people want to start a walking group in their neighborhood or another activity to connect with one another and provide moral support.

“When we shared our zero-sugar approach and new offerings, people really wanted to hear how we did it, what the communication was like, how we worked through all those things,” Joshi said. “We want organizations to be like campaign leaders.”

Next on the agenda is launching a weight tracker, so pounds can be tracked easily on a website and show Washington County’s cumulative results. Individuals and organizations can use it to track their pounds.

Before devising a weight-loss strategy, Joshi noted, it’s best to see your primary-care provider and review health goals together.

“We never want to get in between the patient and doctor relationship,” he said. “We are not endorsing a certain number

of pounds per person; we’re saying we want to get to a healthy weight as a community. Talk to your doctor about what’s best for you — and how and for how long. This is not a 30-day challenge.”

To launch the initiative, Meritus will host the 2030 Bold Health Goal Community Kick-Off in October. During the event at Robinwood Professional Center, the weight tracker will be launched, and resources will be shared to help people achieve their weight-loss goals. Community partners will be on-site to provide information and answer questions.

“This is about getting to a community-wide culture of health,” Joshi said. “Whether we get to a million pounds or 900,000 pounds, those are all wins. This is really about getting people to think more about activity, nutrition and stress.”

2030 Bold Health Goal Community Kick-Off

When: Oct. 6, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Where: Robinwood Professional Center Suite 142 11110 Medical Campus Road Hagerstown

RSVP: Email christie.phillips@meritushealth.com or call 301-790-8215 by Sept. 15.