Why You Should Walk With A Doc

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Are you looking for a fun and interactive way to connect with patients in your community and promote direct primary care? Then, I recommend joining forces with Walk With A Doc.  I first explored starting a WWAD chapter in residency and again as an employed physician. Both times, I ran into barriers and deterrents. Since starting my DPC practice, I finally had the energy, bandwidth, and freedom to launch a local chapter in Grand Rapids, MI. Bonus: It is a great way to promote my practice.  

What is WWAD?  “Walk with a Doc is a nonprofit started in 2005 by Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist in Columbus, Ohio. Initially aimed at helping patients get more physical activity, the program’s benefits go far beyond a simple walk! The opportunity to build friendships within the community, spend time in nature, and receive free health education in a relaxed setting is an all-in-one “prescription” for better health.”

We (my practice and two patients who graciously volunteered to be my walk leaders) hosted our first walk event on Saturday, July 6, 2024.  The turnout was modest but excellent nonetheless.  Others in attendance included another primary care doctor looking to join the practice, one of my alternative medicine colleagues who offers acupuncture, a married couple who had heard about the walk from a magazine article, and 5 of my patients.  One of my long-time patients who jumped over with me from my employed job had this to say:

“My boy thought it was odd that I was going to walk with my doc today.  I said to him, ‘H*ll yeah!  Do you want to come?’”. 

He wrote a raving review about the event on the practice Facebook page. 

So, why should you start or join a WWAD group?

  1. It helps patients simultaneously implement critical factors for a healthy lifestyle: social connection, getting out in nature, and exercise. 
  2. You get to lead by example.
  3. It’s another way to connect with your patients and community in a personal and low-stress way (above and beyond what you do or will do in your practice).
  4. It exposes people to you as a doctor and to direct primary care tangibly and organically.
  5. Hosting walks is an inexpensive way to promote healthy living, your practice, and direct primary care all in one shot.
  6. It’s fun!!

Want to find out more? Check out WWAD here. 

Before starting your chapter, check with WWAD to ensure one isn’t already in your area.  If there is, consider joining forces. Remember, we (Docs) are in this together, united by our mission to promote health and wellness.

About Angela Andrews, MD

Dr. Angela Andrews is a board-certified Internal Medicine and Pediatrics physician, health coach, wife, mom, and lifelong athlete. When not spending time with her family or caring for her patients, she is training for her next competition. Dr. Andrews graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and worked at General Electric Healthcare Wisconsin for nearly five years before returning to her dream of becoming a doctor. She received her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her Med-Peds residency at the Detroit Medical Center & Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, MI. After 8 years in the system, Dr. Andrews opened Seeds of Health Direct Primary Care in Grand Rapids, MI in February 2014. Her personal journey with fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle medicine training was a key factor in her decision. She spent years trying to figure out how to incorporate this experience into a “standard” clinical practice, before finding a natural fit within Direct Primary Care. Dr. Andrews is passionate about helping patients address the root cause of their mental and physical conditions and guiding them to cultivate healthy habits around exercise, good nutrition, and mental well-being. Dr. Andrews lives in Byron Center, Michigan, with her husband and exercise companion, Joseph VanEss, their son, Myles, and her two bonus children, Griffen and Quinne. She engages in various fitness activities (CrossFit, running, swimming, yoga, and bodybuilding) and enjoys gardening, tackling projects around the house, and building things out of wood.