01/17/2012
North Dakota Men Urged to Get that Annual Physical
PNS features Grace Brown of Northland Community Health Center
BISMARCK, N.D. - Men across North Dakota are being urged to start the year off in a healthy way, by seeing their doctors for a physical exam. Grace Brown, patient service coordinator at Northland Community Health Centers, says some men have a tendency to only get medical attention when something's broken or bleeding. But, she says, regular checkups are vital.
"The top 20 diseases of men's health are all preventable. So, it's easy to come in and get those screenings done so that you can prevent them, or catch them when they're early."
Brown says that in order to provide men with a little extra incentive to get a physical, now through Jan. 27, they're offering a basic exam for $25.
Brown says the price is right, and even busy North Dakota farmers can make the time.
"A lot of our men are in rural communities, so they're a little bit slower this time of year, and with the new resolutions we try to get everyone, you know, thinking healthy and starting out the year right. We do a quick lipid panel and a glucose check, along with vital signs, and then an office visit to make sure that everything's normal."
Brown says many diseases that affect men don't have easily recognizable symptoms, and many are tied to the growing epidemic of obesity.
"And they compound on each other. So you may start out with high cholesterol, but then that leads also into heart disease and then from the heart disease, that could also lead into diabetes, because you're not taking care of yourself and eating properly, and your organs are working harder to do the minimum of work."
For those who can't find time to take advantage of the men's health exam special, Northland, like other members of the Community Health Care Association of the Dakotas, offers a sliding fee scale for those without health insurance or who are struggling financially. Northland has locations in McCluskey, Rolla, Rollette and Turtle Lake.
More information is at www.northlandchc.org
