From Danville Regional Health System
Better Health Magazine Archives

The Coles Family of Danville When it comes to staying healthy, you can never be too old - or too young. By providing a wide variety of health and wellness programs for every family member - from children and teenagers to adults and seniors - Danville Regional Health System helps people of all ages become active participants in their own health.

Helping Children Become Head Smart
Because the incidence of cardiovascular disease in Danville and the surrounding counties is twice the state average, it's important to help children start making healthy lifestyle choices now. Through a program called Heart Smart, children learn in their own classrooms how to lead heart-healthy lifestyles. "We felt we could have the greatest impact in preventing cardiovascular disease by working with middle school students," said Kay Crane, Community and Media Relations Coordinator for Danville Regional Health System and a Heart-Smart educator-in-training. The program began this spring with sixth graders at Gibson Middle School.

Heart Smart was developed by the Action Project (HVCAP), which is a partnership between Danville Regional Health System, Danville Public Schools,and Pittsylvania/Danville Health District. The program is incorporated into health and science classes, where students learn about the benefits of exercising and eating healthy foods. They also learn how the heart works and how to measure pulse rates. "Heart Smart is a very participatory program. Students can even learn how to use a blood pressure cuff and can take it home to measure their family's blood pressure," said Crane. "We also teach them about the importance of knowing their family medical history, particularly with cardiovascular disease. Often parents will listen to their children, making them good catalysts for change within their own families."

Teaching Teens to Think First
As any family with teenagers knows, they tend to put themselves at risk for devastating injuries - many of which could be prevented. That's one reason why Danville Regional Health System sponsors a local chapter of Think First, a national head and spinal cord injury prevention program. Although a separate curriculum has been created for young children, Think First was originally developed to teach teens and young adults that they can have fun without getting hurt if they "think first" and use their minds to protect their bodies.

Presented to local high schools and youth groups, the hour-long program features videos about safety and a testimonial from an injured speaker. "The program is very teen-oriented-we talk about extreme sports, drinking and driving, and vehicular safety," said Kristen Wiles, Think First Chapter Directory and a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Therapy Specialist at Danville Regional Medical Center. "Our most frequent speaker, Lisa Bolt, was injured in a car accident as a teenager. She answers students' questions very honestly about how she could have prevented the accident, and they respond very well to her."

Giving Adults a Healthy Outlook
Although children and teens can benefit from the health education they receive in school, adults don't always have access to the resources they need to stay on top of health and wellness topics. However, Danville Regional Health System provides an opportunity for adults to learn from knowledgeable health professionals through the Healthy Outlook Education Series.

"We began this program more than six years ago," said Kay Crane, who helps to coordinate the lectures. "Usally our own physicians, nurses and staff members serve as speaker, but sometimes we'll bring in a special guest speaker." The seminars are generally free and open to anyone who pre-registers. Past topics have included diabetes, fitness, parenting skills, healthy holiday cooking, and smoking cessation programs. Most seminars are held in the evening, which makes it easy for those who work during the day to attend.

An Advantage for Seniors
Many studies have shown that seniors benefit greatly from being active - physically, mentally and socially. Danville Regional Health System is helping seniors do that through Advantage Plus, a new health and wellness program developed just for people age 55 and older. "Many seniors said they feel that the key to an enjoyable retirement is good health and good friends," said Laurie Pritchett, Health Referral Cooordinator for Danville Regional Health System and Advantage Plus Coordinator. "By helping them stay more active and educated through Advantage Plus, they can prevent health problems in the future- and have fun, too."

Members pay a low, one-time fee that entitles them to a lifetime of benefits, including discounts, health screenings, educational seminars, group day trips, social activities and more. "The club grew from the popularity of Living Longer, Living Well, our senior educational series," said Pritchett. "Through Advantage Plus, we can offer much more to the seniors in our community."

By empowering people to take more responsibility for their own health and by providing a wide range of programs and education to reach all segments of the community, Danville Regional Health System is proving that good health truly has no age limit.