Joseph Ochipinti, CEO of UnitedHealthcare-Gulf States Region, is currently serving as the 2017 New Orleans Heart Walk Chair. In his role, Ochipinti has kicked off the annual City-Wide Executive Challenge. The challenge is an opportunity for New Orleans executives to join like-minded community leaders in an elite group of businesses choosing to make the health of their employees a priority.
This group of professionals is called upon to use their influence and leadership in a healthy competition, which will aid the fight against the #1 killer in New Orleans--heart disease. The challenge takes company leaders and c-suite executives, and makes them fundraising champions.
This competition is the precursor to the New Orleans Heart Walk. The Heart Walk allows community and company teams to raise dollars, but the Executive Challenge sets the fundraising tone for the event. Participants in the Executive Challenge are each asked to raise a minimum of $5,000. The goal of the challenge is to raise 10% of the total Heart Walk fundraising goal.
Heart disease is the number one killer in New Orleans, affecting one in three people. “It is so important that we work together as company leaders to take a strong stance against a killer that is often silent and hidden,” says Ochipinti. “Eighty percent of heart disease is preventable. And fundraisers, such as this, are helping to amplify research efforts that are enabling us to better understand, treat, and prevent this very deadly disease.”
The New Orleans Heart Walk is coming up on Nov. 11 at Champions Square. Leaders interested in joining the 2017 Executive Leadership Class, or forming a company team for the Heart Walk, should visit NewOrleansHeartWalk.org.
“Dollars raised from the Executive Challenge and the Heart Walk stay locally in New Orleans, and fund heart and stroke research happening at local hospitals around town. The next breakthrough could come from our own neighborhood,” added Ochipinti.
Members of the 2017 New Orleans Heart Walk City-Wide Executive Challenge Class include:
Wayne Landwerlin, Arthur J. Gallagher
Brian North, Fifth District Savings Bank
Kevin Gardner, HUB International
Gregory Feirn, LCMC Health
John Foley, Pan-American Life Insurance Group
Lynne Burkart, Postlethwaite & Netterville
Vince Gremillion, Restech
Randy Allen, UPS
Bill Crombie, USI Insurance Services
Joe Ochipinti, UnitedHealthcare
Scott Chapman, UnitedHealthcare
Dr. William Lunn, Tulane Health System