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Programs help with New Year's resolutions
Many programs in public health are designed to assist people in doing just that. Promoting community health comes down to motivating individuals to take steps to ensure a healthy and safe life for themselves and family members. This helps accomplish one of public health's goals - preventing disease and premature death.
Here are a few San Juan Basin Health Department programs that can help you with a healthy New Year's resolution. The first step in making a successful resolution plan is getting the facts. Our Heart Healthy Solutions program helps individuals know their numbers. You get your Heart Healthy score (cholesterol levels, triglycerides, blood sugar/glucose, blood pressure, body mass index) with recommendations in only 15 minutes. Check www.sjbhd.org for community screenings, or call 247-5702 for an appointment.
Another resolution step is getting support. Sharing your quit date with family and friends as part of your plan to quit tobacco leads to a higher success rate. Our Lasso Tobacco Coalition has free Quit Kits filled with helpful tools and great resources; and you can still call the Colorado Quitline at 1 (800) QUIT-NOW to get free, one-on-one support from a personalized coach. This year, there also is a new state online resource, MyQuitPath.com, to help those ready to quit and those getting ready. Individuals get immediate health benefits - within 20 minutes after quitting, a smoker's heart rate and blood pressure drops.
One great way to start a healthier habit is to start fresh. Taking better care of your teeth can start with scheduling an appointment with our dental program, Southwest Smilemakers. Adults who put off cleaning because of time or cost can now get low-cost care at our office at The Commons next to Albertsons. Call 769-3756.
While one of Colorado's new laws can help teens comply with a resolution to not talk on cell phones while driving, adults can also create safer roads by deciding on a method to prevent that temptation, such as turning off their cell phones and putting them in the glove compartment before driving. Focus on Your Drive: Arrive Alive, our distracted-driving campaign, has many other ideas at www.
sjbhd.org as well as offering free community presentations. A new law also prohibits all drivers from texting while driving.
We also can help with a resolution to make your home healthier for your family by providing free community presentations on radon with free test kits starting this month - Radon Awareness Month. About two-thirds of homes tested in La Plata County last year were considered to have radon levels high enough to have mitigation recommended. Of all the environmental health concerns we face, radon is one of the easiest and least expensive to measure and correct. Our Web site has a listing of scheduled presentations, or call 247-5702, ext 223.
For more program events and updates, sign up for our Public Health News Briefs by e-mailing jlooney@sjbhd.org or visit www.sjbhd.org.
Jane Looney is the communications director for the San Juan Basin Health Department.
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