At the time this article was written, there were 140 registrants. At the end of the day over 300 people were in attendance at the Cedar Rapids Community-Wide Health & Wellness Fair on Saturday, March 31, 2007. The article in The Gazette reads…
Health fair prevents health scare
By Ben Fornell
The Gazette
CEDAR RAPIDS — Fredrick Jones has been suspecting for months that he may be diabetic. His feet have been hurting and his vision is blurry lately.
At the 2007 Cedar Rapids Community- Wide Health and Wellness Fair on Saturday, Jones took a blood test and his suspicions were confirmed.
''This is invaluable,'' Jones, 57, said, who added that he plans to exercise to combat the disease. He said he feels encouraged that he was diagnosed early on, because now he can treat the illness before it becomes more serious and costly.
Many screenings were available at the Jane Boyd Community Center, 943 14th Ave. SE. Young and old, insured and uninsured were screened for a variety of ailments including hearing and vision issues, bone density and blood pressure — all provided free by local doctors and nurses.
Jack Hinderman, a Cedar Rapids chiropractor, held two sensors connected to a laptop. His assistant and wife, Sara, said the technology had been developed by NASA as Jack pressed the white units agains t people's necks and backs to scan their central nervous system. According to Sara Hinderman, the test could detect a variety of maladies.
Holly Painter, a 22-year-old senior at the UI, said she attended the fair with some members of her nursing leadership class to administer diabetes screenings.
''We thought this would be a good way to show our leadership in the community,'' Painter said.
Fair organizer Vernita Morgan said the event was about getting the word out about health resources in the Cedar Rapids community, especially to underserved ethnic communities. ''There's a huge need for health care in the Hispanic community,'' said Jesse Martinez, a Spanish interpreter and translator at the event.
Morgan said the idea for the health fair was born in October when a group at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Hiawatha decided to host a small screening event at the church. Originally, it was just three people, but Morgan said the group grew to more than 40 by Saturday's event.
''This is what church and community are all about - helping people,'' Morgan said, who added that more than 140 people attended the event
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At the end of any journey, it’s always nice to reflect on the experience and enjoy the exhilaration that comes with accomplishment. During the past 12 weeks, seven real women have opened their hearts and minds to women across the country. They’ve revealed struggles, shared empowering messages, offered valuable tips and served as genuine advocates for this program.
During the Choose To Move challenge, these women not only engaged in physical activity, they discovered a community of women who share a common goal – increase physical activity in order to develop a healthier lifestyle. Their success is a direct result of determination, commitment and the support they received from those in the Choose To Move community.
From a mom with three kids to a full-time college student to women in the workplace, our real women take on many important roles. And as women juggling multiple responsibilities, we want to be the best we can be - a common thread among women in America. However, in order to be the best for our families, we must do what’s best for ourselves. Our seven real women did exactly that! Each woman, in her own way, learned how to make time for physical activity and develop better eating habits!
For Ruann, Kara, Lisa, Melanie, Vernita, Kathleen and Zulema, the 12-week challenge has come to an end. However, the ultimate reality is that their life-long journey to maintain a healthy lifestyle has only begun. No matter where you are in this journey, I encourage you to rely on women in the Choose To Move community, as well as those around you. Take advantage of the Choose To Move program and turn this challenge into a way of life.
My total chol. is 184
HDL is 46
LDL is 106
Trig. is 184
I have been on a low fat, low carb diet since Sept (NutriSystem). Should I be concerm about my Trig?
Comment by on February 12, 2008 2:54 PMDr. Mieres,
I'm very much an internet girl. As soon as I found out I had high blood pressure, I found this site. After going through all the 'choose to move' selectees, I chose Vervita, for the reason that she update often and replied to those that posted comments.
Well here we are, 6 months later, most of those chosen have yet to update.
Considering these are all busy and accomplished women, perhaps some slack should be cut. Ok.
The forums are worse. I have had to hunt and peck to find true posts, some of which should be answered by a professional, not a jr. high social studies teacher.
I'm sorry to be so negative. In truth, AHA diet and recipes have made it possible that I may be coming off meds next week. My diet plan has been based on your cookbooks.
When I called in my numbers today, to get a refill, the office called me back and said the doctor said when I want, to stop meds for 4 days and make an appointment for the 5th. If bp is in the 100-120 range, we'll stop the meds. Woo hoo! Diet and exercise may pay off!
Comment by on June 12, 2008 8:17 PMDr. Mieres,
I'm very much an internet girl. As soon as I found out I had high blood pressure, I found this site. After going through all the 'choose to move' selectees, I chose Vervita, for the reason that she update often and replied to those that posted comments.
Well here we are, 6 months later, most of those chosen have yet to update.
Considering these are all busy and accomplished women, perhaps some slack should be cut. Ok.
The forums are worse. I have had to hunt and peck to find true posts, some of which should be answered by a professional, not a jr. high social studies teacher.
I'm sorry to be so negative. In truth, AHA diet and recipes have made it possible that I may be coming off meds next week. My diet plan has been based on your cookbooks.
When I called in my numbers today, to get a refill, the office called me back and said the doctor said when I want, to stop meds for 4 days and make an appointment for the 5th. If bp is in the 100-120 range, we'll stop the meds. Woo hoo! Diet and exercise may pay off!
Comment by on June 12, 2008 8:17 PM
Comments
Apr 03 | Lisa said …
Congratulations to a successful health fair on Saturday! I'm so glad you were able to reach so many people. Like you I have high cholesterol and every bite I take seems to stay with me no matter what I do, if you know what I mean. But I've resolved myself to stop obsessing about food and start eating healthy along with exercising more. Even if that just means 20 minutes a day on my exercise bike, it's better than nothing! I look forward to reading your next blog entry, keep up the good work! And Keep Moving!
Apr 03 | Yolande Moore said …
Congratulations Vernita!
I just joined C2M today and you were my choice. You were my choice because I look like you (42 y.o. African-American,5'6" and 205.5lbs - married for 16 yrs w/2 children). I was so excited because I started 6AM prayer with my prayer partner yesterday morning after a long hiatus. I woke up with a new attitude. That morning I heard about this program on XM radio on the way to work and I couldn't wait to get in the office to look up the website. On that day, I used two of the tips I heard on the program that I have known for years but never iniatiated them -- parked a farther distance to get in more steps and took the stairs. New beginnings are wonderful...We had computer problems yesterday so I wasn't able to get to the website, but I said I was not going to let that deter me. So, today I was able to connect and I plan to stay connected...I was so inspired that I went back to read all the previous blogs that were entered.
I choose to move right with you here in Motown~~~
Yolande
Apr 03 | Kathleen said …
Congrats. on the exposure of the health fair and the huge turn out. Working in the healthcare field makes me more concerned with my own health, in addition to others, thanks for the motivation to get up and move.
Apr 03 | Vernita said …
Hello Lisa,
The health & wellness fair was an experience that I shall never forget. There's nothing better than being surrounded by positiveness, people helping themselves, and everyone being on one accord interested in one focus. Awesome!
My cholesterol numbers are on a steady path downward. I started out closer to 400 than 300 and now I'm closer to 300 than 350. For me it’s been exercise, salmon, spinach, and oatmeal for breakfast daily. You can do it too, Lisa. Don't delay, start now. Join me.
~Vernita
Apr 03 | Vernita said …
Hello Yolande Moore,
You must be a beautiful lady and that prayer must have been POWERFUL. Where would we be without prayer...I dare not wonder.
Mrs. "MOTOWN" Moore I love your energy, I can feel it though the eLines. And I bet that you have the tools to inspire others with your actions. Allow your contagious energy to "spread" to others and jump start a new movement. I know you can-I feel that.
~Vernita
P.S. The Detroit Pistons President, Joe Dumars, is from my hometown- Natchitoches, Louisiana. GO Pistons!!!
Apr 03 | Kathleen said …
Hello Kathleen,
While planning the health & wellness fair my attention was focused away from food. It was great! I am so excited that now I have more time to focus on my studies and my exercise program. Yea!
3 cheers for you, Kathleen. Most healthcare professionals neglect their own health. Continue to take care of you. If you don't then we all lose; if you do we all win. And I like to be on a winning team.
~Vernita
Apr 04 | Alfreda said …
Hi Vernita..I wish you well on your new healthier style of living. I am apart of a GETFIT challenge going on in my city now and I've incorporated walking and better eatting choices..I'm excited about the newness of life!
Apr 04 | Vernita said …
Hello Alfreda,
I love your Myspace page.
It IS very exciting to be a part of something NEW especially when it is a POSITIVE addition:
YOU + SOMETHING NEW & POSITIVE = BETTER YOU
~Vernita
Apr 05 | lisa said …
Great News!
Congratulations on a job well done!
Apr 05 | Vernita said …
Thanks, Lisa!
I will pass this on to the Committee.
~Vernita
Sep 14 | David Fetterman said …
Hi Vernita,
You have done a wonderful job here - pulling folks together and sharing information. This is very empowering to read and review. Speaking of empowering, feel free to let folks know about our self-help or self-evaluation approaches as well. For more information about it see:
http://www.stanford.edu/~davidf/empowermentevaluation.html
also see our blog at:
http://eevaluation.blogspot.com
and see
Fetterman, D. and Wandersman, A. (2005). Empowerment evaluation principles in practice. New York: Guilford Publications.
Keep up the good work.
-David
Sep 14 | Vernita said …
Hello David,
You are my Today Angel. Your platform to give a microphone to those individuals who may not otherwise have a voice in this society truly touches my heart!!
Choose To Move is all about embracing a self-help/self-evaluation way of thinking. I acknowledge my past actions, create a workable model of changing my behavior, and set my vehicle on cruise-control as I ride down the highways and byways elated by the changes in geography (or watching my situation change). I am now 201 lbs which is a 49 lb weight loss since March 5, 2007.
Thanks for sharing.
~Vernita
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