Texas WWAD FAQs

How much does it cost to get started?

If your lead physician is a member of the Texas Medical Association, the TMA will cover the entire startup cost of WWAD membership, marketing materials, merchandise, and liability insurance. Email us if you’d like to check on a physician’s membership status. If you aren’t working with a TMA member, let us know and we’ll send over pricing options.

Seems too good to be true. What’s the catch?

Lead physician needs to be a current TMA member
Must commit to at least 12 walks within a year (ideally once per month)
Must track attendance after each walk using the sign-in spreadsheet we send you

What does it cost in future years?

As long as you’ve reached the requirements above and your lead physician’s TMA membership is renewed, the program will remain free each year!

I’m ready to sign up! What do I need to do?

Click here and answer the relevant questions to navigate to the correct sign-up page. Complete the housekeeping items and we’ll take it from there!

Can we add our logo to the materials?

All of your materials will be branded with both the Walk with a Doc and TMA logos. You’re welcome to add your logo to anything electronic (social media posts, website pages, etc.) or any paper materials 11″X17″ (flyer-size) or smaller. We also offer the chance to add your logo to t-shirts, banners, etc. for an additional sponsorship charge (click here for more details).

Once we have all of your housekeeping items, we will get everything set up on our end. You’ll receive an official “welcome packet” via email within 1-2 business days, giving you access to our electronic resources. You’ll receive a certificate of insurance via email from our insurance partner within 3-4 business days. Your toolkit will come in the mail usually within 7-10 business days (please allow 3-4 weeks for co-branded kits). You’re welcome to start walking right away, but we recommend spending at least 4-6 weeks using our marketing materials to promote the 1st walk to patients and the community.

Can we have more than one doctor? Multiple organizations?

Yes! The more the merrier. Your WWAD chapter will be tied to the walk location that you choose and you’re welcome to have as many partners involved as you’d like. Your lead physician needs to be a current TMA member, but you’re welcome to have other healthcare providers involved in leading walks as well. The lead physician should attend the first walk and be involved with future walks as often as they can.

Who is allowed to lead the walks?

We have several “branches” of our program to allow different healthcare professionals to lead the walks. Feel free to mix and match different events throughout the year depending on who is leading, but make sure people know who to expect as the leader at each event!

Walk with a Doc events can be led by a medical professional with an advanced medical degree such as a Physician, Resident Physician, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, or someone with a doctorate degree in a healthcare field, such as DDS, PharmD, Psy.D, DPT, OTD, DPM.
Just Walk events can be led by other licensed healthcare providers, including a registered nurse, registered dietitian, medical social worker, respiratory therapist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech & language pathologist, licensed mental health counselor, and athletic trainer.
Walk with a Future Doc events can be led by medical students under the supervision of a faculty member or licensed healthcare provider.

*If there is a licensed healthcare provider that wants to lead a walk but isn’t on this list, please email us their credentials and we’ll let you know if they’re eligible to give the health talk.

Can we rotate locations?

We recommend that groups aim for a goal of monthly walks with a consistent location throughout the year for a few reasons:

Programming: The nature of Walk with a Doc is to create ongoing programming that promotes behavior change, moves people along the physical activity spectrum, and builds relationships within the community. We’ve seen that an ongoing presence with a consistent schedule and location helps better facilitate that within a community.
Marketing: Consistent messaging (ie walking the 1st Saturday of every month at 9 AM at Central Park) will make your marketing efforts much easier. You can promote the program as a whole, rather than each event individually.
Insurance: We typically provide your chapter with liability insurance for one outdoor location and one inclement weather location. If this is an issue, please let us know and we’ll work to find a solution.

How does the insurance piece work?

Your organization will be listed as an additional insured on our general liability policy and you’ll receive a certificate of insurance via email (click here for a sample). In the event of an accident/incident at a WWAD event, you will have coverage for $1,000,000 per occurrence, $3,000,000 aggregate + $5,000,000 umbrella. It covers all physicians, staff, volunteers, walkers, etc. at the walks and you’re welcome to walk as often as you’d like in both the outdoor and inclement weather location that you designate on your application. Participants will also sign a waiver once per year.

Do you provide the topics for the health talks?

We give all WWAD leaders access to our Leader Portal which has many suggested topics. However, we give our leaders the freedom to speak about any health subject they’d like. The TMA will also send out suggested topics throughout the year and offer incentives for you talking about them!

How do you help with marketing?

We’ve learned countless “best practices” over the years and we’ve put together tools to help make it easy for you to spread the word to patients and the community. In addition to the merchandise toolkit you’ll receive, we will give you access to our Leader Portal which contains a full marketing guide/timeline as well as pre-made flyers, press releases, and social media posts/images. Our team is available to brainstorm ideas by phone or email anytime! The TMA will also help spread the word about your WWAD program.

Can we order more merchandise if we run out?

Of course! You’re welcome to order merchandise through our online store or send us an email. Make sure you select “Texas Medical Association” branding where applicable! We can also work with you to custom-order WWAD merchandise that isn’t on our store.

What does the agreement mean by sponsors attending the walks?

This is basically in the agreement in the event we have a national sponsor who wants to attend a walk and talk to participants about their brand/business. If someone requests to attend your walk, we will notify you ahead and you can always “opt-out” if you’d rather have them not come. If a local business reaches out to us and wants to sponsor/attend your walk, we will forward the information to you and let you decide if you want to pursue it or not.

Additional Questions?

Give us a call at (614) 714-0407 or email contact@walkwithadoc.org!