Seven schools in northern Idaho will share the $5,000 first-place prize won by legislators from District 1 in the recent Regence BlueShield of Idaho Move It challenge. It’s the third time in the four years of the competition that District 1’s contingent has won the championship of the event.
 
Bonners Ferry High School, Riverside High School Alternative of Bonners Ferry, Clark Fork High School, Sandpoint High School, Lake Pend Orielle Alternative High School of Sandpoint, Priest River High School and Priest River Education Program Alternative High School have been named the recipients of the money, which will be used for health-related activities.
 
District 1 legislators Sen. Shawn Keough (R-Sandpoint), Rep. Eric Anderson (R-Priest Lake) and Rep. George Eskridge (R-Dover) along with representatives of Regence BlueShield of Idaho presented checks to school officials and students.
 
The District 1 trio took 1,510,023 steps in the four-week competition. Everyone’s step is slightly different, but it is estimated that it takes 2,000 steps to walk a mile so the District 1 team walked about 755 miles.
 
Participating legislators, wearing Regence-issued pedometers, walked 7,607,547 steps or about 3,804 miles.
 
Placing second was the District 25 team of Sen. Michelle Stennett (D-Ketchum) and Reps. Wendy Jaquet (D-Ketchum) and Donna Pence (D-Gooding) with 1,433,343 steps.
 
Placing third was the District 17 team of Sen. Elliot Werk (D-Boise), Rep. Sue Chew (D-Boise) and Rep. Bill Killen (D-Boise) with 949,891 steps.
 
Regence donated $5,000 to the schools of choice of the District 1 winners, $3,000 to the schools of choice of the District 25 runners-up and $2,000 to the schools of choice of the third-place District 17 team.
 
“By participating in programs like the Move It competition, our state leaders encourage healthier behaviors for our young people,” said Scott Kreiling, President of Regence BlueShield of Idaho. “We would like to thank members of the Idaho legislature for continuing to help us promote this healthy competition.”
 
Regence began the program because of the rising rate of childhood obesity. The U.S. Surgeon General reports that approximately one third of all adolescents do not get the recommended amount of physical activity. Studies suggest that time spent watching television, playing video games and using computer has contributed to this decrease in physical activity.
 
About Regence BlueShield of Idaho
Regence BlueShield of Idaho is a leading health plan in Idaho with more than 190,000 members, offering health, life and dental insurance. Regence is the largest health insurer in the Northwest / Intermountain Region, serving more than 2.5 million members as Regence BlueShield of Idaho, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah and Regence BlueShield (selected counties in Washington). Each plan is a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Regence is committed to improving the health of our members and our communities and to transforming our health care system. For more information, please visit www.regence.com or www.twitter.com/RegenceIdaho.