More Than 5,000 Members Took Part in Women’s Health Week

You read that headline correctly. The Health and Dental Centers had more than 5,000 visits during Women’s Health Week 2014, which is a clear indication that members are continuing to take interest in their health and well-being. It’s also good news for the Hotel Trades Council, because the good health of members and their families is always a primary goal of the Union.

Women who visited one of the Health Centers for Women’s Health Week did not need an appointment to be able to receive testing and an exam that allows doctors to detect early signs of five different types of cancer: breast, cervical, skin, colon-rectal, and oral. Tests were also provided to measure members’ blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other health indicators. As always, information was provided on a number of other health issues that are specific to women, including menopause, infertility, osteoporosis, family planning and certain infectious diseases. Members could also get flu shots, which, we should add, remain available to all members and their families at the Health Centers without appointments being necessary.

The theme of this year’s Women’s Health Week was “Connect to Your Health,” a reference to the HappyHealthyMe health portal that more and more members are learning to use. Members can arrange their medical appointments and prescriptions, as well as see lab and other test results by signing up and using the portal.

Another area covered during Women’s Health Week was heart disease in women. Sadly, too many people think that heart disease is a medical condition that affects mostly men. This misconception has probably led to the needless deaths of many, many women. In fact, more women die from heart disease each year than from anything else!

One of the problems concerning women and heart disease is that too may believe that the only symptom is chest pain. But in fact there are other signs of heart disease in women, including difficulty breathing and sleeping, nausea, and back pain. The good news is that all women can greatly reduce their risk for heart disease. Giving up smoking is a must, and so is staying away from other people who smoke. Getting your blood pressure checked regularly is important, too. If it turns out you do have high blood pressure, which increases your risk of a heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and other conditions, it is easily controlled with medication. Women should also have their cholesterol checked regularly. Both blood pressure and cholesterol tests were available at the Health Centers during Women’s Health Week. And there was plenty of information available to help members stop smoking. Both the Health Centers and the Members Health Assistance Program (MHAP) have classes available to help members kick the nicotine habit. There are also prescription drugs available that have had great success in helping smokers quit cigarettes. If you would like more information on programs or other means to quit smoking please call or visit your Health Center or MHAP.

The importance of a good diet and regular exercise was emphasized during Women’s Health Week, too, not only to reduce one’s risk of heart disease but also to reduce the risk of various forms of cancer. The advice was to stay active. As an example, walking every day can greatly lower one’s chances of a heart attack.

Information was also available on how to lose weight. Good nutrition, counting calories and getting plenty of exercise are all important factors in the process of maintaining a healthy weight, and additional information was available on all of these topics.

It is encouraging to see that more than 5,000 visits were made to the Health and Dental Centers for women’s Health Week. Early detection of cancer and other medical conditions is the greatest weapon we have against these killers, and Women’s Health Week provided various tests for early detection.

It is also clear that attending Women’s Health Week gave many members peace of mind. Getting a clean bill of health always makes one feel good. The vast majority of last week’s visitors to the Health and Dental Centers received useful information that can help them lead longer, happier and healthier lives, and that’s great news for all of us!

Staff and members at the Queens Health Center take a moment to say “hello” to Hotel Voice. We will have additional photos of Women’s Health Week in the December 8 edition of Hotel Voice.