La Porte Hospital teamed up with the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte to create a free, educational, family-fun event. ‘A Taste of Wellness’ was the first of many public health events at the LifeWorks campus in Michigan City. The healthcare providers offered several fun giveaways such as mini first-aid kits, ice packs, apple slicers, and even incorporated a few healthy snacks to try while allowing guests to sign up for free health screenings for common diseases such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
A Taste of Wellness was held to help teach the community about personal wellness concerning digestive health, women’s health, financial health, and even environmental health. Katie Sarver, Manager of Wellness Outreach with La Porte Hospital, talked about the importance of teaching the community about all of these aspects.
“Our true focus is really to showcase what wellness is and to allow people to get a better look at their personal health,” Sarver said. “Teaching the community about wellness is one of the most important things we can do as a hospital.”
Kayla Banks, Chest Pain Coordinator at LaPorte Hospital, wanted the community to know about the importance of knowing hands-only CPR.
“You can do CPR without being certified just by doing chest compressions,” Banks said. “Lots of people in the community are afraid to do CPR on someone who goes down in a cardiac event, but the American College of Cardiology states that the compressions are the most important.”
Banks said if someone collapses and isn’t moving or breathing, doing hard and fast compressions in the center of the chest with no breaths is just as effective as if someone certified were to do it. Of course, it’s always important to call 911 immediately as well. It’s important to know what to do if that situation were to arise.
Nearly 200 people came through the doors and enjoyed A Taste of Wellness. Peggy Thomas was one of the attendees and loved that La Porte Hospital was out in the community educating.
“It’s great to see our community think about wellness because it impacts us in many different ways,” Thomas said. “We picked up on things we didn’t know just by walking around for five minutes, and it opens your eyes to some things you may not have thought of.”
Another attendee, Paula Buechley, who came to learn about the La Porte Physician Network, agreed. She talked about the cost of healthcare and how learning new things to help prevent health problems or catch them early can save you a lot of money.
“Its a great thing when we can help a community become informed and help them learn how to take care of themselves,” she said.
Overall personal wellness is incredibly important. The LifeWorks campus in Michigan City is located at 3777 encompass full family health care including CareExpress Urgent Care, pediatrics, primary care, surgery care, ophthalmology, cardiology, women’s care, diagnostic testing, and physical therapy and wellness services.
Whether it’s scheduling a regular check-up or something more personal, you can find a physician near you at www.laportephysiciannetwork.com, or check out www.laportehealth.com for more information.
