Publisher's Letter
Welcome to our 5th annual Loveland/Greeley Medical and Wellness Magazine & Directory. We are honored to collaborate with the Banner Health organization and the outstanding senior management, administrators, physicians and staff of both McKee Medical Center and North Colorado Medical Center...
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Wellness Screenings Save Lives
by Connie Hein
January is typically a time to reflect on the past year and to prepare for changes we want to make in the next. New Year’s resolutions are often part of this process. But by springtime in the Rockies, most resolutions have flown out the nearest open window along with the stale winter air.
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Roxane Smith, Senior Occupational Health Worksite Wellness Manager at North Colorado Medical Center (NCMC) in Greeley says one of the most important resolutions we should make and keep every year is to get recommended health screenings.
She says there are several potentially life-saving screenings that people avoid because they fear they will be time-consuming, costly or unpleasant. “When you consider the time and money, not to mention pain and suffering, patients could save in the long run; they would gladly keep this resolution and follow through on screenings.”
She says early detection of any disease or illness is often the key to curing or controlling the problem. “We need to know numbers such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, height and weight, and monitor these important levels throughout our lives,” says Smith.
We need to start wellness screenings, including dental and vision examinations, as young people, she adds, so our healthcare providers will have a baseline to know what is normal in our bodies.
For women, the annual check-up should include a breast exam and Pap, and for men a prostrate examination.
Sheryl Fahrenbruch, Senior Manager of Wellness Services at McKee Medical Center and Loveland Community Health Fair co-director for 11 years, agrees that consistent wellness and health screenings are an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
She says if patients do not make wellness screenings part of their lives, things can sneak up and get the best of them “At McKee, we provide wellness services including monthly open-lab blood screenings,” says Fahrenbruch.
One she recommends is the Chem 24 Panel that shows the overall health of the heart and other vital organs in the body. She believes annual skin cancer screenings are also very important in Colorado because residents are in the sun so much of the time. “Even in the winter we need to be sure to wear sunscreen to protect our skin, and watch for any suspicious moles or changes in the appearance of our skin.”
Another important screening, especially for women, is a bone density test. “After about age 40 patients should be screened annually for osteopenia, which is a precursor to osteoporosis. If it is caught early there are many things that can be done with diet and exercise to delay or prevent osteoporosis.”
For men, Fahrenbruch recommends the prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening to check for prostate cancer.
“Health fairs are great places to get these comprehensive, inexpensive screenings,” says Fahrenbruch. “The Loveland Community Health Fair provides hundreds of people with blood test, screening and education in April every year.”
Smith says another great way to get necessary screenings and tests each year is the NCMC program called Body Check – What You Need to Know from Head to Toe. This includes a comprehensive set of tests that are done for a reasonable price.
Smith and Fahrenbruch say our primary care physician is always the best source of information and is the place to start with recommended health examinations.
“Your doctor knows you and knows your history, so it is best to start there, but health fairs and clinics are great resources for screenings and can sometimes be more inexpensive and convenient,” says Smith. They both say no matter where you get your screenings and wellness checks, it is important that you don’t avoid them.
Smith says besides wellness screenings, another important aspect of having overall good health is educational programs. She recommends investing time and money in health education just as we invest time and money in our career education.
“We have a program at NCMC called Eight Weeks to Wellness. This program teaches participants to make healthy choices in eating, exercise and other aspects of their lives.” She says they also offer healthy cooking classes that teach nutritious cooking with simple techniques and ingredients that can be easily incorporated into our lives.
Smith says learning something as simple as substituting a high fat or sugar ingredient for one that is healthier can make a big difference in our daily calorie intake and therefore our health. “When we learn to eat even a little healthier we will have more energy and feel better. We are far more likely to stick to resolutions involving small changes than we are when trying to make big ones.”
Her suggestion is to pick one small change to make this year, and as that change becomes a habit after about a month, pick another one and keep this pattern up throughout the year.
“Maybe this year the first goal could be to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water everyday since Colorado is so dry,” Smith recommends. “Start there and after a month, pick another simple habit, like taking a 20-minute walk everyday.”
Both wellness experts agree that we should not just examine our habits at the end of a year, as toasts to good health and happiness are being made. We should make screenings and health education an ongoing part of our lives for overall health and well-being throughout the year. +
Connie Hein is a freelance writer living in Windsor and the author of the Toliver in Time series of children’s books.