Gift Promotes Personal Wellness

Imagine being able to give someone the ingredients for a healthier lifestyle. Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and Barnes & Noble booksellers have teamed up to create the Gift of Wellness – the first product that can be purchased conveniently and securely online through the Memorial Hermann Web site at http://www.memorialhermann.org.

Packaged like a compact disk, the Gift of Wellness contains a $25 Barnes & Noble/Bookstop gift card, a $25 gift certificate for a cholesterol screening redeemable at 25 Quest Diagnostics centers in the Houston area, a free one-month membership at YMCAs throughout greater Houston or at the Memorial Hermann-HBU Wellness Center, and a copy of "Talk to Your Physician: Quick Tips" prepared by the American Heart Association. The gift package retails for $50.

"Wellness means much more than a low-fat diet and exercise," says Memorial Hermann Director of Marketing Sharon Messimer. "Lowering your cholesterol and working out are important but wellness also involves activities that challenge and nourish the mind, such as reading."

Messimer says to effectively promote disease prevention and overall community wellness, Memorial Hermann must reach consumers where they do business rather than wait for them to see their doctors.

A major credit card is required to purchase the Gift of Wellness online. Other products and gift-giving opportunities will be added in the future.

For those who prefer traditional shopping methods, the Gift of Wellness is also available at all Houston-area Barnes & Noble/Bookstop locations or by calling (713) 222-CARE (2273).

– David Mendel

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/08_01_02/page_33.html