First-ever Tucson Family Triathlon part of hospital wellness mission

Event co-creator Mary Atkinson has been the wellness director at Tucson Medical Center for the past three years, helping lower hospital employees’ medical costs by encouraging healthier living.

Her job is two-pronged and includes not just employee wellness but community wellness, too.

A Tucson family triathlon, with running, biking and swimming (and an expansive definition of family), has always been part of her long-range plan.

The Star spoke with Atkinson last week about her position and the upcoming event.

The following are excerpts from the interview:

What is a wellness director?

The job has two missions — improving the health of our employees and the health of our community.

What is your training — what makes you qualified to be a wellness director?

I am a registered dietitian by trade. Someone with a background in nutrition or exercise physiology, those are good traits to have.

Are there wellness directors at other hospitals?

Not that I know of. Most other facilities have wellness committees made up of volunteers. We have a committee as well. But at most workplaces it’s like a human resources function. ... A lot of insurance providers see that if we keep lives healthy, it reduces overall costs.

Why does a hospital need a wellness director? Aren’t hospitals already focused on wellness?

That is what makes TMC so forward-thinking. It proves to the community that we are focused on keeping them healthier, even when they are out of the hospital. Our CEO, Judy Rich, likes to say we are moving from sick care to well care.

A lot of programs we offer are at The Core, which is TMC’s new health and wellness center at the La Encantada shopping center. We do outreach with education and tools to help people take ownership of their health, to be successful in managing their own care without going to the hospital.

Are you the first Tucson Medical Center wellness director?

Yes. We just established the wellness department three years ago. We began with a partnership with the Canyon Ranch Institute. Now we have expanded beyond that one partner.

What have you accomplished so far?

We are shifting the culture. People are a lot more focused on their own health and wellness. We opened an employee gym, with more than 1,000 members, and we have a pretty high percentage of usage. About 75 people show up for monthly hikes, cycling or running groups and we are engaging in different ways

We are partnering with the Tucson Jewish Community Center. We had a health and wellness fair with them in the fall. The JCC is not a medical institution but their mission is similar to ours: They want to improve the health of people who come to them and so do we. We’ve also been working with Pima County.

What are your goals?

We really want to expand out into the community. Our biggest struggle is that we have some great programs available, but getting the word out is always the problem.

We want to be a resource to the community to manage current or chronic disease or to prevent the progression of disease. It’s always a challenge of how to get more people engaged. (People may email the program, wellness@tmcaz.com with questions.)

It sounds like you are trying to keep people away from the hospital, yet you are in the hospital business.

We are helping to reduce inappropriate utilization of hospital services. If someone needs medical attention, of course they need to go to the hospital. But if someone can’t manage their blood sugar or their blood pressure is all over the board, and they don’t have proper knowledge of how to manage their diabetes, that is what I want to help.

Tell us about the family triathlon.

We are partnering with the JCC. It is an ideal location for a triathlon — on The Loop. They have a beautiful pool and a big open field.

We just want to make it something that is family-friendly and fun, that kids can come and do and learn about the sport, because what kid doesn’t like to swim and bike? (She added that ‘family’ is any combination of kids and adult mentors).

The kids don’t even have to finish. If they have to be pulled halfway across the pool, that is fine. At least they tried. At least they are out there doing something and being active as a family unit. The adults can choose the distance they want to do.

What do you hope to achieve with this event?

We are a little over 100 participants; the goal is 150. We’d like to double the numbers next year.

What makes the event unique from other triathlons?

There’s no other triathlon where kids and adult mentors do it together. It is the only one in Tucson of this kind, where the adult can be in the pool with the kid. There are some 3-year-olds who are already registered. It’s all for fun.