Women over 40: LRMC joins wing to provide health education

Lyn McNulty
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, area military health facilities and the 435th Medical Services recently joined forces to provide comprehensive health education and medical care to women 40 years and older.

The first part of the program will consist of an educational program designed to provide valuable insights into health issues particularly important for women. This will be followed by a clinical care program for the participants where they will be given appointments based on their individual health needs.
Topics to be discussed during the educational program include fitness and nutrition, cancer prevention, menopausal health, women’s health and general preventative health.

Participants will be given a health survey questionnaire at the time of the program. Based on individual health needs, an appointment will be made at a convenient time in October to address specific requirements of each patient.

Women 40 and over have a unique set of health issues. Prevention and screening are essential for maintaining health. The health concerns for this age group include breast cancer, skin cancer, depression, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight management, and menopause. Maintaining an active lifestyle is highly beneficial. Attendees at the health fair will have the opportunity to have their blood pressure checked, body mass index measured, receive information regarding smoking cessation, as well as learn the proper way to perform a breast self-exam. A risk assessment tool also will be available to assess lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.

“This is a great opportunity for women in the community to access the vast services in a concentrated forum, “said Pat Benedict, RN, LRMC Oncology Clinic.

This program arose from the recognition within the medical community that beneficiaries are under significant pressures and often times their own health care is placed on the back burner.
“Many women sacrifice their own preventative medical care that they know they need because of other obligations,” said Maj. Joseph Flynn, chief of the LRMC Medical Oncology Clinic. “We are offering this program to give these women an opportunity to take care of themselves in a convenient way.”

This program is open to active duty, dependents, Department of Defense employees and any ID card holder eligible for care. However, the educational meetings in September are open to anyone interested in women’s health issues.

The first educational meeting will be held at Kaiserslautern American High School Auditorium, Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. The second meeting will be on Sept. 29 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ramstein Officer’s Club. The final meeting will be held at Heaton Auditorium in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center on September 30 from 4 until 6 p.m. Door prizes and refreshments will be offered at each of the events. For more information, call the LRMC Oncology Clinic at 06371-86-6288 or 486-6288.