Keeping Them Up-To-Date

As Women’s Health Liaison at Chase Brexton Health Services in Baltimore, Maryland, Patrice Meekins coordinates mammograms for uninsured women. She promotes breast cancer awareness with Silicone Wristbands, butter mints, key tags and much more. But she knows that breast cancer is not the only disease women suffer from, so she looks at a calendar of health events and tries to celebrate one per month. Since heart disease is the leading killer of women, Meekins decorated the clinic for American Heart Month and distributed “101 Ways To Exercise Your Heart” Bookmarks. She helped educate patients and employees during Stress Awareness Month and High Blood Pressure Month as well, just to name a few. Sometimes Meekins places educational products in the downstairs lobby for everyone who enters the building.

National Women’s Health Week

Started by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this nationwide event reminds women to make health a top priority. Join health organizations, businesses and communities in uniting to tell woman the steps they can take to prevent disease. See our selection of women’s health products. New to this catalog are “Get The Facts About Breast Health” Slideguides and “Helping A Loved One With Breast Cancer” Pocket Pals.

Honoring Mature Adults Through Health

The Southeast Georgia Area Agency On Aging, based in Waycross, offers a walking challenge at its 19 senior centers. More than 220 people participate. The challenge lasts all year. Whoever walks the most in a set amount of time from each center and overall is awarded a prize. Water bottles, pedometers and stress balls from Positive Promotions are used as incentives. At four of the centers, a more extensive program called “Live Healthy Georgia: Seniors Taking Charge!” focused on exercise and nutrition. Health tests were given to 100 seniors. Then they could attend daily exercise sessions as well as classes on fruits/vegetables, diabetes and healthy cooking. According to Wellness Coordinator Bridget Delaney, the health tests were repeated after three months, and participants showed improvement. They received Key Tags for completing the program. Multiple groups of 100 went through “Live Healthy Georgia.”

Older Americans Month

Physical activity, good nutrition and preventive medicine can help seniors have longer, happier lives. Celebrate healthy aging during Older Americans Month. Positive Promotions’ items made for seniors, such as The Senior Good Health Journal, are perfect for encouraging wellness.

Valuing Employee Well-Being

During High Blood Pressure Education Month, Arizona Chemical in Port St. Joe, Florida, held its annual employee health fair. Eye Center South did vision screenings, Gulf Coast Medical Center tested cholesterol and Bay Medical operated a bloodmobile. Blood pressure readings were taken, and then Blood Pressure Recorder Pocket Pals were given out to write the results in. Also, the 35 employees who attended the fair received a healthy lunch and many educational products. The company conducted drawings for a sports watch with heart rate monitor and a home blood pressure machine. Cynde Aaron, Administrative Assistant, said that Arizona Chemical offers the fair and other health programs because the employees are its #1 resource.

High Blood Pressure Education Month

High blood pressure often displays no warning signs or symptoms. More than 65 million Americans have been diagnosed, and many other people have the condition without realizing it. Use May to distribute blood pressure reading recommendations, found in the Know Your Numbers Journal.

Learning More, Stressing Less

The Pinellas County Head Start/Early Head Start program schedules a session for parents once a month. In April, the monthly seminar was called “Mom’s Morning Out” and it helped alleviate stress. The all-day event in Largo, Florida, gave 50-60 mothers a chance to interact. Nancy Ortiz, Comprehensive Secretary for Nutrition, Health Services and Family Services, shared information about stress management that she found on the Internet. In addition, attendees received Stress Survival Kits. The day included lessons from “Survival Skills for Women,” a curriculum that was designed to increase self-sufficiency.

Partners For Quality, Inc. provides services to adults who have developmental disabilities. At a wellness expo in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, the agency set up a stress-reduction booth that featured relaxing nature sounds and the scent of lavender. Expo attendees were treated to a yoga/meditation class and mini massages. Healthy Lifestyles committee members passed out mints and “101 Ways To Manage Stress” Bookmarks. Committee Chair Katie Phillips said the bookmarks were really well received.

Employees at FAS Controls, an automotive parts manufacturing company in Shelby, North Carolina, benefited from a stress-management seminar. The county health department sent representatives to do the seminar. They presented coping techniques and offered tips for lowering stress. The 145 participants received goody bags that each included a “Fitness On The Go!” Pocket Pal among other items. Exercise was one of the techniques discussed. Human Resources Director Stephanie Oliver said the same seminar was held four times to not interrupt plant production yet still reach everyone.