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Summary

Health care costs are a rising portion of any county's budget. This can be attributed to employee health issues which cause poor performance or limit the employee's attendance.

Situation

Health care costs are a rising portion of any county's budget. This can be attributed to employee health issues which cause poor performance or limit the employee's attendance. The Telfair County Board of Commissioners approached the Telfair County Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Agent seeking support of providing health education and awareness to county employees. Not only will this promote better health for county employees, but will also help the county to keep their insurance cost as low as possible. Being aware that Telfair County has a high death rate associated with cardiovascular disease – in 2011 of the 125 deaths reported for Telfair County, 45 were due to cardiovascular complications (36%); the FACS Agent approached this request with a two-prong plan. The first part of the plan included cardiovascular and other chronic disease education. The plan also included Cardiovascular Health Screenings. Because of the overall increase of obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, and Type II Diabetes, now is the time to educate individuals on the importance of taking control of their individual and family's health.

Response

Upon hearing from the employees that they were in need of information regarding Cardiovascular Care, the Telfair County FACS Agent collaborated with local agencies to provide several events that would provide the requested health education and awareness to these employees. One event was a Cardiovascular Screening aimed at not only screening County Employees, but also providing them with the educational materials that could help reduce or manage any cardiovascular problems. Seeking to counter the problem of a high rate of Cardiovascular Disease in Telfair County, the FACS Agent planned and taught How to Prevent a Broken Heart: What You Need to Know to Prevent and Manage Cardiovascular Disease to county employees. In addition to the Cardiovascular Program, the FACS Agent followed up with another program entitled Let's Get Physical a few months later. Both programs used a variety of educational tools including PowerPoint, group discussion, educational handouts and activities to engage and promote a better understanding of what it takes to commit to a Healthy Lifestyle.

Impact

The second annual Cardiovascular Screening for Telfair County Employees was attended by 10 employees. All participants received a free neck and abdominal sonogram, as well as an arm and ankle pressure test, in addition to blood pressure screenings. All of these screenings are used to determine those most at risk for stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and peripheral artery disease. Of the 10 employees screened, several were reported to have issues. This resulted in those employees making follow-up appointments with their personal physicians in an effort to curtail any future health problems. Through this one event, many of the county's employees were not only diagnosed with potentially life-threatening conditions, but were encouraged to make follow-up appointments with their personal physician in order to avoid future complications and long term health problems. This in turn will save the county money, taking into account the high cost of long-term chronic disease, as well as decreased productivity and missed work days. The two programs developed and presented by the FACS Agent of Telfair County were attended by 39 county employees. These three events brought over half of Telfair County's workforce many resources and educational materials needed to help them pursue healthier, more productive lives. This translates into a healthier, more financially secure county!

State Issue

Food, Nutrition and Health

Details

  • Year: 2016
  • Geographic Scope: County
  • County: Telfair
  • Program Areas:
    • Family and Consumer Sciences

Author

  • Smith, Laura T.
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