Wellness Wednesday: ALS Walk team forming

The medical center community is invited to sign up for the UNMC Walk Team for the ALS Association’s Walk to Defeat ALS on Aug. 23 at Werner Park.

The ALS Association’s biggest annual event, the walk raises funds that allow its local chapter to sustain care services and support research. UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., will serve as this year’s corporate recruitment chair for the event.

The one-mile walk will take place at Werner Park with check-in at 9 a.m. The walk begins at 10:30 a.m. There is no fee to participate, but participants are encouraged to pre-register online.

“We’re hoping to have a strong presence,” said team captain Elspeth McKeon, nurse case manager, neuromuscular disorders at The Nebraska Medical Center.

In May, the ALS Association, along with its Keith Worthington Chapter, certified our ALS multidisciplinary clinic as a Certified Treatment Center of Excellence for meeting the highest levels of established national standards of care in the management of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

All walk routes are wheelchair accessible and Walk Day activities include something for all ages.

Interested participants are invited to register through the ALS Association’s website and join the UNMC Walk team. Raising $25 or more for the ALS Association will qualify participants for a UNMC Walk Team T-shirt. However, contributions of $75 or greater will enable participants to receive both the UNMC Walk T-Shirt and an official Walk to Defeat ALSĀ® T-shirt.

To learn more about the walk, join the UNMC team, or contribute, visit the UNMC team page on the Walk to Defeat ALS website (click “join the team” and enter requested info). If you have any questions, contact or e-mail walk captain Elspeth McKeon.