Aultman’s Walk with a Doc (WWAD) program continues to gain momentum. In December, the group walked the Downtown Leopard Mile and more than 20 community members joined in the fun! The walk started at UpTown Joe’s Coffee Shop in Louisville, a WWAD community partner.

In 2017, the WWAD program is slightly tweaking their approach, but the end-goal remains the same: improved community health.

“As we’ve grown this program and dug deeper, we realized we needed to make a few changes,” said Walk with a Doc champion physician John Sutton, M.D. “Last year, we moved the program across Stark County in hopes of broadening our reach. One month we were at Stadium Park and the next month we were at the First Tee of Canton. This year, we decided to have just one single location.”

Each walk in 2017 will start at the Eric Snow YMCA and will take place the second Thursday of each month from 5-6 p.m. By having one central location, as well as a consistent time and schedule, the program hopes the community will be more inclined to join in the fun.

Also new this year is the addition of community partnerships. Aultman’s Walk with a Doc program is collaborating with the Eric Snow YMCA, the Canton YWCA, Live Well Stark County, Stark Parks, United Way, ACCESS Health, Diatia Juice Bar, Tiqvah, the Hall Of Fame Marathon and the Canton City School District. Each partner plays a vital role. All of these community partners are coming together to work with United Way and Live Well Stark County to develop a downtown one-mile loop.

The monthly WWAD events are free and open to the public. Each month, Dr. Sutton and his team of physicians will briefly discuss a relevant health topic and then lead the walk. Each walk lasts about an hour – proper clothing and shoes are recommended for each season. Though the program prefers walking outside as much as possible, the Eric Snow YMCA has opened their gymnasium in the event of inclement weather.

Here’s a quick glance at the schedule for the 2017 walks:

• Jan. 12
• Feb. 9
• March 9
• April 13
• May 11
• June 8
• July 13
• Aug. 10
• Sept. 14
• Oct. 12
• Nov. 9
• Dec. 14