e-Health -- doing the penguin

Niagara Falls, Ontario

I've always loved the idea portrayed in those Participaction ads -- that we should get out and keep active.
Have you noticed however, that they hardly ever show people walking around their neighborhoods in winter?
The ads I see normally depict scenes of adults smiling as they traverse the local park in their finest summer gear, or kids on their bicycles having fun!

Why is that? Well, perhaps it's because the above practice is actually hazardous to your health -- consider the following:

• it snows, so the road plow comes along and dutifully dumps the snow onto the sidewalk; when does the sidewalk plow arrive? When everyone's at work, of course! 
• when the snow is finally cleaned, the sun comes out and melts it; overnight it freezes into a rink the local peewee hockey team would be happy to practice on
• when the temperature moderates, it rains and the sidewalk becomes so muddy you'd think there was a hog farm nearby

I constantly ask myself these questions:

• why is it that local governments are happy to delegate the responsibility to keep sidewalks safe during winter, to homeowners
• what's the point of having a local bus service if potential passengers cannot safely get to the bus stop
• why are the roads cleaned and then the sidewalk -- why isn't it the other way round, or at best, both done in tandem
• why doesn't the city/municipality treat the sidewalks the same way they do the roads when icy conditions are in the forecast
• does local governments only want its residents to stay fit nine months of the year

Ah, so many questions but hardly any decent answers! I'm in constant contact with my town's operations department during the winter season, and the responses invariably come back that either coordination is not possible because of jurisdiction, or there's a resources issue.

So what can those of us who love our daily interactions with nature (no-matter-the-weather), do?
You're not gonna get much sympathy from your local government, so here are some other suggestions:

• warmer weather's coming (I think), so get ready to do some outdoor "leg-lifting" exercise routines -- that way, next winter, you'll have no trouble navigating those ridiculously high snowbanks
• be prepared to lose the odd sneaker in one of the many mud pools you're sure to encounter
• Practice your "walk-like-a-penguin" moves -- you'll be glad you did next time the pavement ices over

As you wait for Winter to finally release its grip, watch where you walk and remember to keep managing your health by using EMRs, EHRs or PHRs as appropriate.


Ernest A. James

President and CEO
Regal Informatics Inc.