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The newest walking club in Tucson debuted at 8 a.m., Friday, Feb. 22, at the La Encantada Shopping Center – the Sarver Steppers in partnership with the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center and local vendors Haute Coffee and Lululemon.

Cara Deery, Sarver’s senior program manager for outreach and education, considered it a very successful launch with 11 people attending from the nearby community for the kickoff event. She noted that prizes are presented including a pair of shoes from Lululemon for the high stepper of the month.

“I am thrilled about the success of this event and the opportunities it presents to the U of A and the center for health promotion, community building and marketing,” Deery added. “The group was thrilled to participate today!”

Among participants was Tom Lassar, MD, a retired Sarver Heart Center member and faculty in the Division of Cardiology. His wife, Jane, is an avid walker at La Encantada and helped establish the initial connection between Jill Harlow, the mall’s activity manager, and the center, Deery said. 

La Encantada’s prior collaboration with Tucson Medical Center as a partner for a walking event ended during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the center was looking for a new partner.

The Sarver Steppers will be walking daily between 6 and 9 a.m., and the frequency of the walks-with-a-doc activities is still to be determined. They’ll be planned for Fridays and will occur weekly, monthly or quarterly. And Sarver can bring any number of clinicians or researchers to participate.

Click here for a flyer to share for the Sarver Steppers. And you can see maps of walking routes at this link. There are two routes, each 0.3 of a mile in length – the Catalina Route and Saguaro Route – and a combined Ocotillo Route, including stairs, that also is 0.3 of a mile long.

Sarver Stepper participants are encouraged to download the Strava app, which offers a free service to track and record your fitness activities like walking, running, cycling and hiking. Social features also allow you to share your activities with friends and join clubs like the Sarver Steppers.

The initial 14 people recorded as members on the Strava club for the Sarver Steppers is expected to grow rapidly over the next week or so, Deery said.

“Members were excited at the opportunity to meet other walkers. One member, a 92-year-old woman named Charlotte, recently had to give up driving and is excited for the social and fitness benefits offered by the Sarver Steppers group. Her daughter, Karen, is the wife of Ken Wilund, PhD, director, U of A School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, whose interested in partnering on the initiative, too,” Deery added. 

She thanked Sarver physicians for their participation in offering quotes to help inspire the walkers. Those included:

■ “Movement is medicine.” | Raj Janardhanan, MD, MRCP, a professor of medicine in the college’s Division of Cardiology who is echocardiography director and medical director for non-invasive cardiac imaging at Banner – University Medicine Tucson.

■ “Walking not only improves cardiovascular health but also shown to improve mental and emotional health.” | Iniya Ranendran, MBBS, MPH, an assistant professor in the Division of Cardiology and a fellow in the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Fellowship Program.

■ “Use it or lose it!” | Craig Weinkauf, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Division of Vascular Surgery at the Department of Surgery and member of the U of A Graduate Faculty.

Count your steps, count your points for prizes

• Download the free Strava app, join the Sarver Steppers “club,” and track your daily walk from one of the routes at La Encantada while enjoying the cool morning air.
• Steps must be recorded only at La Encantada to be eligible for prizes.
• About the routes:

1. The Catalina (Upper Route): Length is 0.3 miles; three times around is approximately 1 mile.
2. The Saguaro (Lower Route): Length is also 0.3 miles; three times around is approximately 1 mile.
3. The Ocotillo (Upper & Lower Route): This involves a combination of using the Lower and Upper Routes to get the full mile. Length is also 0.3 miles; three times around is approximately a mile. This is the advanced route since it includes stairs.

• Record your walk at La Encantada, use hashtag #SarverSteppers and post it on the Sarver Steppers “club” on the Strava app for a chance to win prizes!
• Leashed pets are welcome.

See QR code on maps PDF for alternate way to download the Strava app. Click image to enlarge.

Questions? Contact Cara Deery, senior program manager, outreach and education, Sarver Heart Center, 520-626-2901 or caradeery@arizona.edu

A donation by the Sarver Heart Center Minority Outreach Program and the American Heart Association provides the congregation at Rising Star Baptist Church, a predominantly African American church located in South Tucson, free access to measure their blood pressure at any time they are at the church.

Program members and their community partner AHA donated a standalone blood pressure monitoring unit. Wanda F Moore, Founder and Chair of the Minority Outreach Program, and Cheryl Alli along with Katy Wood and Malina Koukhamsay of AHA presented the machine to Pastor Amos L. Lewis after Sunday service on February 12, 2023. The monitor is located inside of Rising Star in its medical room. Information on how to properly use the machine, monitor and lower your blood pressure is also provided to visitors.

High blood pressure, known as the “silent killer,” is the leading cause of stroke. African American men and women have higher rates of high blood pressure than any other racial or ethnic group, and are more likely to be hospitalized for high blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet, many do not know they have it, because they don’t have symptoms.

Over 1,000 members belong to Rising Star Baptist Church, at 2800 East 36th Street in Tucson. According to the Church’s website, members are predominantly African American, but people from all backgrounds, cultures and religions are welcome.

“The Sarver Heart Center is so proud of Wanda F Moore, and the Minority Outreach Program, for its continued dedication to providing important life-saving heart health information to the Tucson community,” states Carol Gregorio, PhD, interim Director of the Sarver Heart Center. “The installation of the blood pressure machine demonstrates the importance of monitoring your blood pressure and eliminates barriers that may prevent people from doing so.”

Funding for the blood pressure monitor was provided by the American Heart Association Arizona.

The Sarver Heart Center would like to congratulate Dawn Henderson, administrative associate since 2016, who was honored for her efficiency, friendliness, and communication skills as the 2022 recipient of the Brian Bateman Superb Service Award. Many faculty nominated her.   

“Dawn is a beloved staff member here at the Sarver Heart Center,” said Carol Gregorio, PhD, interim Director of the Sarver Heart Center. “The physicians she supports praise her dedication to scheduling coverage within Cardiology, which is an absolutely essential role in healthcare.” 

Nominators Rajesh Janardhanan, MD and Talal Moukabary, MD, nominated Henderson to be recognized for her exceptional work. Craig Hoover, MD, stated he has only been at the University of Arizona and the Sarver Heart Center for a year, but during this time, he has witnessed Dawn has assumed more responsibilities than ever due to the loss of faculty and support staff.  Joseph Alpert, MD, said in his nomination letter “I am sure my life would be a huge mess if it were not for her monitoring and assisting me in a hundred ways. She is one of the very best administrators that I have had the pleasure of working with during my 30 years at the U of A and Sarver.” 

Brian Bateman served as director of development for the Sarver Heart Center for nearly a decade. A key ingredient to his success was the “whatever it takes” attitude that he instilled in those with whom he worked. The award is a wonderful way to acknowledge and thank those who remove barriers and help fulfill the mission of the Sarver Heart Center in the best possible way. Dawn Henderson embodies the qualities of this recognition.