Baptist Health Works to Build a Healthier Community
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Prattville Baptist Hospital is helping the community live healthier, longer lives through its new Live Well healthy lifestyles program.
Established in 2007 through a grant from the Montgomery Area Community Wellness Coalition and Steps to a HealthierAL River Region, the program aims to educate residents on three chronic medical issues sweeping the nation – diabetes, obesity and asthma.
“There is a need for this program in our community to educate residents in Autauga and Elmore counties on how to limit the adverse effects of three health concerns that are prevalent in our community,” says Ginger Henry, administrator at Prattville Baptist Hospital. “As the community hospital, Prattville Baptist Hospital knows how important it is that we communicate the risks of these concerns.”
Every day, those risks become a startling reality for families in Alabama and throughout the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 20 million Americans suffer from diabetes, while nearly 35 percent of adults and 16 percent of children are considered obese; an additional 32 percent of Americans will suffer from asthma during their lifetime.
The Live Well program is designed to cut those numbers through education, screenings and ongoing awareness.
Through the Baptist Health Speakers Bureau, health-care professionals are available free of charge to address business, school, church or community groups. Meanwhile, community health screenings provide participants with blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checks.
The program also provides health information to area schools and is reaching out to individuals through local businesses, health fairs and other community events. Businesses also can take advantage of the Live Well Workplace Wellness Starter Kit, which is available free of charge to any business in Autauga and Elmore counties.
“Baptist Health is interested in preventive health,” says Ben Kelley, vice president and executive director of the Baptist Health Care Foundation, which helps support Live Well. “This program encourages a healthier lifestyle.”
It is Henry’s hope that individuals affected by the program will walk away with a new level of awareness and education. Feedback has been extremely positive, she says, and the hospital already has received many personal success stories from those touched by Live Well’s message.
“Often times, we can make specific lifestyle changes that will help decrease our risks of diabetes, obesity and asthma,” Henry says. “For those already diagnosed by their physicians, we hope our education regarding living well with these conditions will help improve their quality of life. A program such as Live Well is one way that we are able to offer an added benefit for the well-being of the residents of Autauga and Elmore counties. They are our neighbors, friends, church members and family. We want them to live healthy lives, so we can continue making our community better.”
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Story by Melanie Hill
Photo by Staff Photo
