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Over 300 community members took part in the St. John’s Lutheran Hospital Health Fair this year. The fair accommodated 42 booths and a variety of activities, talks, and even a petting zoo featuring a donkey, baby lambs, goats, miniature horses and a potbellied pig. Presentations included yoga, chiropractic education, a discussion on hypothermia, and a panel on women’s health issues. Reduced costs blood draws are a favorite at the Fair. This year 87 folks took advantage of the opportunity to have their cholesterol and blood sugar levels checked. Of course, the highlight of the day was when the “Sugar Buddies” a group of middle school aged children with type 1 diabetes, challenged their physicians to a game of hoops. As it turns out, the kids taught the docs a lesson in hoop-men-ship with a final score of Sugar Buddies 55, doctors 30. The Health Fair also included a 2-mile run/walk Health Trek coordinated by Libby’s Montana Athletic Club and the hospital. “With the focus of this year’s Health Fair/Trek on celebrating family health, we wanted to promote multi generational running/walking,” said Barb Dumont, race coordinator. “The race can be as competitive as you make it. Some people run the entire distance and some stroll along and take in the beautiful views. We have had mom’s pushing strollers, kids walking with their parents, grandparents with grandchildren; we also have competitive runners. We want to accommodate all who want to attend. The whole idea of the Trek is to have fun while doing something healthy.” There were 121 participants in this year’s event, setting an attendance record for the race, and prizes were awarded for many age categories.
Health Fair Visitors to the sixth annual Havre Community Health and Safety Fair on Saturday at Holiday Village Shopping Center will be participating in the event at a different time of the year than in the past. However, organizer Kathie Newell of Northern Montana Health Care said there still will be a wealth of information on the health and safety topics from an abundance of area businesses and organizations. “ The purpose of the health fair is to create awareness of the wide variety of health and safety resources available around Havre,” said Newell, who is public relations manager at Northern Montana Health Care, one of the health fair’s sponsors. “And this year, we are holding the event in January, hoping that we can target people who have made New Year’s resolutions having to do with their own wellness. This year the sponsors - NMHC and Holiday Village - and the organizers - Newell and Tiffany Korb of the shopping center - deciding to focus on the theme, “Our Mission: Your Health and Safety.” “ We’re asking people to recognize that while our nation is focusing on a freedom mission, we can be focusing locally on guarding our won personal well-being,” Newell said. “We hope everyone will join with us - the ‘defenders on the health care homefront’ - and do what we can to improve our life-styles.” Northern Montana Health Care will kick off the health fair with a giveaway of a couple hundred bicycle helmets to children who are accompanied by an adult interested in bike safety. “ The last time we did this was at the Great Northern Fair,” Newell said, “and the helmets were gone in only about two hours.” Throughout the day, there will be various wellness and safety demonstrations at the exhibits, which will be set up along the Holiday Village hallway. Several of the exhibitors also will have games for children. Northern Montana Health Care will offer a variety of free screenings. “ People will be able to get their blood pressure checked, their cholesterol and glucose checked, their body fat analyzed, their pulmonary function assessed, their feet looked at, and their bone density analyzed,” Newell said. “Our staff members are very excited about being at the health fair to help people get a grip on their special health need and to join in our mission toward community good health.” Many of the nearly 40 participating businesses and organizations will be taking registrations for door prize drawings at their booths. Northern Montana Health Care will be giving away a variety of health and safety-related gifts.
St. Vincent Healthcare Heart & Sole Run June 9, 2001 Walkers and runners - 912 entrants - explored a new course to connect with the downtown Strawberry Festival, raising a net of $13,000. Sponsored by St. Vincent Healthcare, the funds will provide scholarships for patients recovering from serious heart or lung problems who need supervised exercise programs.
Wellness Walkers Program offers Chance to exercise Those looking for a way to get winter exercise without enduring cold weather are welcome to join the Wellness Walkers Program, a joint effort between Barrett Hospital and HealthCare and the University of Montana-Western. The free program, which started two years ago, runs from September through May from 8:00 a.m.- 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. “ We started this program because there was no place for Cardiac rehab patients to go for their exercise,” says Arlene Tustin, who organizes the program. Tustin, who has a masters degree in Exercise Physiology, helps her fellow walkers to stretch and do warm-ups before beginning to walk each day. There is no age limit, although Tustin admits that many of the walkers are of the older generation. “We’ve had people pushing baby strollers. The oldest is 94 years old,” Tustin explains. Tustin adds, “we have walkers who have severe arthritis, have cancer. There are no excuses. You can do this.” The group listens to music, with many of the walkers brining in their own selections, and walk. “They don’t always like my 70’s rock and roll,” laughs Tustin. The hospital loans lap counters to the walkers so they can enjoy the walk rather than keeping a count of the laps in their heads. Tustin also provides a spread sheet so those involved can keep track of their progress. There is no sign up, those wishing to walk may simply show up, says Tustin. However, anyone with questions may call Tustin at 683-3125.
Fitness Fair Want to check your blood pressure or test your strength and flexibility? Want to learn more about caring for your teeth and reducing stress? St. Peter’s Hospital and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana are sponsoring a fitness fair June 1, on the downtown walking mall. The fitness fair will include nearly 50 booths with a variety of health screening tests and health information. Several of the participating organizations will have prizes to give away through drawings held throughout the evening. In addition, merchants will set up booths to offer a wide range of fitness-related items. “ We have had an excellent response in past years to our fitness fair, and this year we are even more excited about our collaboration with Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Helena businesses,” said Leslie Pierson, director of rehabilitation and wellness education at St. Peter’s Hospital. “ We invite everyone to use the fair as an opportunity to have fun, learn more about their health, and ways they can enjoy a healthier life-style.”
Flathead County American Heart Walk Thanks to everyone for the success of our heart program. It has involved multiple departments working together to accomplish this extraordinary goal. Northwest Healthcare (formally Kalispell Regional Medical Center) is committed to improving cardiovascular services. This is why the hospital was a “red cap” sponsor for the American Heart Walk, held on May 19th at Woodland Park. The red caps were given to cardiovascular survivors as a symbol of overcoming a heart attack or stroke.
FREE Outdoor Adventures for People living Beyond Cancer “FREE” is an outdoor adventure program for people living beyond cancer. Through wilderness experiences, “FREE” promotes healing on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. With goals of independence and self reliance, this program encourages participants to break free from cancer and get on with their lives. Through the sharing of this experience, participants learn they are not alone in their recovery. The actual week-long wilderness adventure includes activities such as hiking with llamas, camping, and rock climbing. A solo experience is also encouraged to allow participants time for reflection and introspection. This trip is staffed by a licensed counselor and a certified guide. Each participant is asked to contribute $100 towards trip expenses: However, funding is available to help cover this cost if it presents a hardship. This program is a collaborative effort between Flathead Valley Community College and North Valley Hospital. Community sponsorship provides the funding that underwrites participation costs.
Walking Program The public is welcome to walk a 555’ course through Holy Rosary Healthcare each morning from 6-7 a.m. and each evening from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Ten times around the course is just over one mile (5,550 ft. vs. 5,280 ft. in a mile) and a notebook is kept at the front information desk where walkers can record their distances either in laps or in miles. Walking is good fitness and well being and can become a very healthy habit. By walking inside, community members avoid inclement weather, temperature extremes, uneven walking surfaces, insects, etc. As with anything, safety is stressed and no power walking or running is allowed. An average of 15 persons per day walk in Holy Rosary.
Healthy Fun in 2001 is this year’s Fair theme Saturday, April 28, Barrett Hospital and HealthCare is sponsoring its 15th annual Community Health Fair. Healthy Fun in 2001! is the theme for this year’s fair, which will be held in the Beaverhead High School’s B.W. Lodge Gymnasium from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This year’s fair is again expected to be bigger than ever, with more than 70 different booths available for fair-goers. A wide variety of activities and information is planned this year, including child health, DNA life prints, wilderness survival, tobacco cessation, mental health, blood pressure and blood sugar tests, educational shooting center, bicycle safety check, healthy pets information, hearing screening, children’s car seat safety and many more. Both Air Idaho Air Rescue and Missoula Life Flight will have helicopter visits, landing at Vigilante Park at 10:30a.m., with the crew available until noon, for Life Flight and Idaho Falls Air Rescue landing at 12:30 p.m. and staying until 2 p.m. Many departments from Barrett Memorial Hospital will present free information and free medical screening. Children are welcome at the health fair, and a number of activities are provided just for them. For more information about the health fair, call the Beaverhead County Healthy Health Department, 683-4771.
Flathead County American Heart Walk Thanks to everyone for the success of our heart program. It has involved multiple departments working together to accomplish this extraordinary goal. KRMC is committed to improving cardiovascular services. This is why the hospital was a “red cap” sponsor for the American Heart Walk, held on May 19th at Woodland Park. The red caps were given to cardiovascular survivors as a symbol of overcoming a heart attack or stroke.
For Debbie and the Others...
“ Dedicated to our heroes & friends...their stars may have fallen, but their light shines on through us...” That will be the theme when Clark Fork Valley Hospital team sets out to walk the Thompson Falls High School track for 24 hours in Saturday’s Relay for Life. The CFVH “Shooting Stars” have dedicated their Relay team to the following individuals (listed with the year of their death), all employees of Clark Fork Valley Hospital who lost their lives to cancer:
Cancer is a devastating disease and its effects are traumatizing to the victim’s family. The same is true in the extended family of the workplace. “When a life threatening illness strikes a co-worker, we all suffer,” said Sandy Raymond, the team’s Captain. “As you think about it, when you work with someone day in and day out, you can spend nearly as much time with them as their immediate family does. You become very close. Those of us who have experienced cancer with our friends in the workplace will never forget it.” Most recently, in January 2002, the CFVH “family” lost Debbie Stamm of Plains to breast cancer. Many of her co-workers in the Fiscal Services department have joined the team in her honor, to help raise money for the American Cancer Society’s efforts to eliminate the disease. “This time last year, Debbie’s cancer was in remission and we (her co-workers in the Business Office) purchased a luminary for her at the Mineral County Relay, as a survivor,” said Jane Payzant, CFVH Patient Accounts Representative. This year Debbie will likely have many luminaries burning in her memory at the Sanders County Relay. The CFVH team has sixteen members, all hospital employees except one. They are Celeste Brose, Mark Catalanello, MD, Cheryl Clark, Craig Gill, Deb Green, Carla Neiman, Jennifer Olsen, Helen Ovitt, Jane Payzant, Sandy Raymond, Jeanie Shaner, Jonathan Shaner, Lynne Shotwell, Marilyn Sisler, Joyce Snyder, and Rebecca VonHeeder. Each team member is asked to raise a minimum of $100 in donations and the team must have at least one member on the track at all times during the 24 hour Relay. In addition to participating on the team, Jeanie Shaner is co-chair of Survivorship and Carla Neiman is Cancer Control Chair for the event. The Relay for Life will get underway Saturday at 10:00 at the Thompson Falls High School Track. Beginning with the Survivor’s Lap, followed by a parade of all the teams. The Luminary ceremony will take place at 10:30 p.m. and the relay will wind up at 10:00 Sunday morning. Approximately 27 teams have been organized for the Sanders County’s first relay. For more information or to purchase a luminary, contact Jeanie Shaner or Carla Neiman at Clark Fork Valley Hospital.
Y donation matches St. Luke’s mission “The Mission Valley YMCA is at a crossroads and this will allow us to move forward.” Those were the comments of the Mission Valley YMCA board chair, Ben Graves, as he accepted a $2,000 donation from St. Luke Community Healthcare Network. “ I feel like our yearly contribution to the Y really fits with our mission here at St. Luke,” responded Shane Roberts, CEO of the community-owned healthcare network. “Our goal is to promote and improve the health of our communities, and with the mission of the YMCA being ‘healthy spirits, minds and bodies for all,’ we share a common purpose.” Mission Valley YMCA director Margie Cantlon told Roberts that the annual contribution was even more significant to the Y, especially in light of the crisis that health-care facilities are facing. “ It’s a balance, particularly considering what’s happening to rural facilities in terms of Medicare reimbursement,” Roberts replied. “More and more rural facilities are losing money and closing their doors nationwide.” However, “this valley has supported us very well as the only community-owned facility here - and it’s important that we give back to the community.” Presently, St. Luke Community Healthcare Network is the second largest employer in Lake County behind the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The healthcare network has an annual payroll of more than $9 million.
North Valley Health Fair North Valley Hospital health fair offers free community services including body fat testing, blood pressure screening, oxygen saturation testing, and discounts on lipid panels. Also provided is health information and displays and free auto sun visors.
We Got The Blues! Wear your jeans to work and help support Wings! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so every Friday this October is Denim Day! Wings Regional Cancer Support is a local group of volunteers to help cancer patients with out-of-pocket and travel expenses during treatment. There is a suggested donation of $2 per Friday. Managers and supervisors will collect the donations and turn all funds in to Northwest Healthcare (formally Kalispell Regional Medical Center) Cashier.
Walking Program The public is welcome to walk a 555’ course through Holy Rosary Healthcare each morning from 6-7 a.m. and each evening from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Ten times around the course is just over one mile (5,550 ft. vs. 5,280 ft. in a mile) and a notebook is kept at the front information desk where walkers can record their distances either in laps or in miles. Walking is good fitness and well being and can become a very healthy habit. By walking inside, community members avoid inclement weather, temperature extremes, uneven walking surfaces, insects, etc. As with anything, safety is stressed and no power walking or running is allowed. An average of 15 persons per day walk in Holy Rosary.
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