On Dasher! On Dancer! On Valley Health’s Coach!
It wasn’t Dasher, Dancer, Prancer or Vixen that arrived in our community
this month, but instead the Valley Health Health Coach pulled in, loaded
with the gift of good health!
Over the past few weeks, members of the Valley Health team were in the
community spreading holiday cheer -- and increasing awareness about heart
health. Working with local employers, staff conducted Heart Attack Risk
Program (HARP) screenings, and made healthy lifestyle recommendations
to those screened.
Travelling in the Valley Health Health Coach (more practical on the highway
than a sleigh!), nurse Cathy Judy, RN; health educators Courtney Miller,
Delsie McCoy and Kelly Walker; and Elizabeth Keplinger, mobile service
outreach coordinator, offered Virginia and West Virginia residents fasting
blood work, a brief consult, a post-test snack AND customer service with
a smile. Armed with educational materials tailored to the individual needs
of those screened, our staff also shared practical advice and made recommendations
for follow up care if needed.
Recently the Health Coach screened Miller Auto Group staff in both Martinsburg
and Winchester, and has visited several Frederick County government locations
to conduct screenings.
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"I've been screened here once before," noted Martinsburg’s
Miller Toyota salesman Jack Kirkpatrick. "My last screening motivated
me to change my diet, so I cut back on soda and now eat oatmeal for breakfast."
At the Miller Auto Group screening, one person shared how one of his coworkers
was sent straight to the hospital after his last screening. "That
was a wake up call for me and now I come for a screening every time the
Health Coach is here!"
“The Health Coach team’s goal is to reach folks where they
work, and through the screenings, get them personal health information
that helps them make healthy choices,” notes Tracy Mitchell, Valley
Health director, Community Health & Wellness Services. “Our
staff might recommend they get more exercise or lose weight, or join one
of Valley Health’s free smoking cessation programs. Our health educators
may also recommend that they share the test results with their primary
care provider. We might not give them a “real” gift to unwrap,
but the gift of good health is the best present anyone can give themself!”
We think Santa would approve … and he might even say that, thanks
to HARP screenings, our community is Healthier – and Merrier—Together!
Valley Health offers free HARP screenings at hospitals and other facilities
around the system. Visit
valleyhealthlink.com/HARP to find a screening near you.