Over 15 pounds. That is how much weight Rachel, age 47, lost by participating in the Hadassah Medical Center’s Ambassadors for Health program.

A project of Hadassah’s Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, the Ambassadors for Health three-month course empowers women who work in the public sector to launch health initiatives in their ministries.

Among the initiatives suggested were having healthier lunch options in the cafeteria and exercise throughout the work day, distancing printers from work stations, sponsoring lectures to promote a healthy lifestyle, and bringing lab technicians to the office to check workers’ blood pressure.

“There are many health programs targeted at children and opportunities for retirees,” notes Dr. Donna Zfat-Zwas, director of the Pollin Center, “but the working woman falls through the cracks. The Ambassadors for Health project reaches working women in the public sector. The lifestyle changes they make will affect their families and their extended families, too.”

Dr. Zfat-Zwas reports that this year alone, the project will directly affect 14,000 government workers from all sectors of society. “The sheer impact of this project is just staggering,” she says.