Atrium Health Navicent Healthy Communities to Offer Health Screenings
If your New Year’s resolutions for healthier living have faded into the winter twilight, don’t worry! Spring is a great time to make a fresh start and renew your focus to prioritize your health.
The first step is to know your numbers — blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and waist measurement — so you know where you can make improvements. Knowing your numbers will also make you aware of the increased risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a group of five conditions that can lead to increased risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other health problems.
According to the American Heart Association, a person is diagnosed with metabolic syndrome when they have three or more of these conditions:
• Central or abdominal obesity (measured by waist circumference): For men, this means greater than 40 inches; for women, greater than 35 inches.
• High triglycerides: 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more; or you’re taking medicine for high triglycerides
• Low HDL cholesterol or you're taking medicine for low HDL cholesterol: For men, this is less than 40 mg/dL; for women, less than 50 mg/dL
• High blood pressure: 130/85 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or more; or you’re taking medicine for high blood pressure
• High fasting glucose (blood sugar): 100 mg/dL or more; or you’re taking medicine for high blood glucose
“If it’s important to you to live a long, healthy life, then knowing your numbers is the first step,” said Dr. Gorby Leon, who sees patients at Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care Fort Valley and Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care and Occupational Medicine Warner Robins. “Having high numbers for just one of these conditions is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but when you have three or more, the chance of developing a serious cardiovascular condition increases. Now is the time to take preventative action and get your numbers checked.”
If you aren’t up to date on your numbers, take advantage of one of the following health screening events provided by Atrium Health Navicent Healthy Communities:
• Saturday, April 12: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at Festival Park, 310 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Fort Valley
• Saturday, May 17: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at Walter B. Williams, Park, 59 Ga. 22, Milledgeville
Screenings are offered at no charge. No appointment is necessary.
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 130-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.