Doctors typically have a packed schedule and are often seeing one patient after another, making it tough for bonds to form but one community initiative at Yale New Haven Health has been looking to change that.
Launched in 2016, Yale New Haven Hospital has since partnered with Get Healthy CT for “Walk ‘N Talk with a Doc,” an opportunity for community members to walk with YNHH physicians to discuss health care topics.
The idea was started by Internal Medicine Primary Care residents in collaboration with YNHH’s community outreach coordinators for the hospital.
Every year, from May to September on every Saturday of each month, a group of ten or more community members gather along the Farmington Canal Greenway Trail for their weekly walk with a physician.
Individuals arrive by 8:45 a.m. by the trail to prepare for their two-mile round trip walk that begins promptly at 9 a.m. and ends around 10:15 a.m.
Parking is available at New Freedom Missionary Baptist Church which is located at 280 Starr St. in New Haven.
The participants are a mixture of community members and patients of Yale New Haven Health with no age requirement. In fact, participants are even encouraged to bring their dogs as a walking partner if they wish.
Lucille Kohlenberg, MD, Yale School of Medicine is a third-year resident in the Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program who has been a coordinator of the walk for several years.
She said the walk aims to bring together individuals and patients in an informal setting to discuss any medical condition diagnoses topics while squeezing in some movement.
“We’re used to the patient, physician power and differential and we’re towering over patients in their beds, telling them what to do, giving them advice, whereas on this walk, it’s much more of a balanced relationship. We’re all on our feet walking, no one’s looking down at each other,” said Kohlenberg.
The pace of the walk depends on who is participating that day. Some days, it will be a group of walkers who are in their 20s, but other days, it may be walkers who are in their 70s.
“The aerobic benefits and just having more cardiovascular exercise can be helpful and one of the really nice parts is we’re saying you don’t need to do anything fancy,” added Kohlenberg. “You don’t need to go to a gym or need expensive equipment, but really, finding a friend, putting on your shoes and just heading out the door.”
Doctors participating in these walks always wear regular, active wear, and shy away from the white coats.
Tracy Rabin, MD, SM, Yale School of Medicine has been one of the physicians involved for several years.
“It’s not about giving people specific medical advice about their condition. We’re pretty clear about that. I think in general people just like to hear other opinions from doctors in this informal setting,” said Rabin.
This walk is free of charge to participate and in return, participants get a good workout out of it.
“I think fundamentally, being an effective primary care doctor is about enjoying learning about people and hearing their stories and hearing about their health concerns,” added Rabin.
For more information on how to sign up, contact Andy Orefice at (203)-688-5671 or
[email protected].
