SALISBURY — Rowan Regional Medical Center and Rowan Family Physicians teamed up to provide health and wellness education and screenings at Gerry Wood Auto Group on Friday, May 25.
Val Velte, a wellness nurse, and Courtney Troxler, an exercise specialist, from Rowan Regional joined Megon Freeborn, a nurse, and Candice Rogers, patient services coordinator, from Rowan Family Physicians, to greet close to 100 employees during an the wellness event at the dealership.
It was organized by David Contorno, of Lake Norman Benefits, in conjunction with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Rowan Regional and Rowan Family Physicians.
“The goal of the event was to provide onsite access to health and wellness services for the employees of Gerry Wood. We think this approach of making healthcare more accessible to employees while they are at work helps them learn ways to get healthy, stay healthy and, in turn, reduce healthcare costs,” said Contorno.
The employees were able to participate in screenings such as blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index (BMI) as well as learn valuable health information including smoking cessation, heart disease prevention, nutrition and exercise information including weight loss tips and more. Gerry Wood’s staff members were also encouraged to establish a relationship with a primary care physician to undergo routine physicals, screenings and talk regularly with a physician to prevent disease and improve health.
Participants took part in health and wellness challenges by answering sun safety and nutrition questions which awarded them with sunscreen and/or a pedometer. Pedometers help individuals achieve exercise and weight loss goals by counting steps taken each day. Val Velte, wellness nurse, encourages all adults to wear a pedometer to get an accurate reading of their daily exercise regime. “It’s important to know how much exercise you are getting daily and then make goals to increase that amount of exercise. 10,000 steps daily is a great goal to work towards to maximize your exercise and benefit your overall wellness.”