Purdue employees find value in wellness screenings
Wellness screening appointments with the School of Nursing are available in April, and one Purdue employee is grateful for the opportunity to participate.
Larry Guentert, Web applications developer in Human Resources, took part in a wellness screening and learned that his total cholesterol was high. As a physically active person with a healthy diet, Guentert was surprised by the report, but decided to take action.
After making changes to his diet, he returned to the School of Nursing for a lipid profile and discovered that his cholesterol was well within the normal range.
"Purdue employees are fortunate to be able to walk over to the School of Nursing for a screening," Guentert says. "This is a great resource available to staff."
Upcoming screenings are available at the following times:
* April 2, 3, 20 -- 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Johnson School of Nursing, Room B-5.
* April 16, 27 -- 8:10 a.m.-1:50 p.m. Johnson School of Nursing, Room B-5.
* April 23 -- 8:30-11:50 a.m. Physical Facilities Service Building, Room 1179.
WorkLife Programs provides these screenings for benefit-eligible faculty and staff and their spouses/same-sex domestic partners. Screenings include the finger stick for blood tests for total cholesterol, HDL, and glucose, height, weight, and blood pressure. Participants must bring their Purdue ID at the time of the screening.
Free screenings are limited to one per calendar year, so participants are encouraged to select the location that works best for them and stay on an annual schedule for screenings. For example, if an individual completed a screening in the fall of 2011, that person will wait until fall 2012 for the next appointment.
Annual screenings are an important part of prevention. Keeping track of health and knowing one's numbers for cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure are valuable steps, and participants are encouraged to share results with their health care provider.
Those being seen on a yearly basis by a health care provider who is monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose should continue those annual visits.
To schedule an appointment, visit www.purdue.edu/worklife and click "Register Now," or call 49-45461.
For regional campus screening events, contact your campus program:
* Calumet: 219-989-2709, lowry@calumet.purdue.edu.
* Fort Wayne: 260-481-6647, tillapau@ipfw.edu.
* North Central: 219-785-5519, kgardin@pnc.edu.
