5/16/2012
ND Women Urged to Make Health a Top Priority
PNS features Dr. Jacinta Klindworth of Coal Country Community Health Center
BISMARCK, N.D, - Women are often known to put the needs of others first, but this week they're being urged to make sure they're at the top of their own priority list - taking care of themselves.
Dr. Jacinta Klindworth at Coal Country Community Health Center says that's the goal of National Women's Health Week.
"Women tend to, too often, want to take care of all the other people in their lives. So, taking the time to make sure they're coming in for their annual exams, their mammograms, Pap smears, annual wellness visits, that sort of thing."
It's vital for women to see a health-care provider on a yearly basis, Klindworth says, because the sooner a problem is detected, the easier it is to treat. That includes heart disease, the leading killer of women nationwide.
"One in two women will have an issue with heart disease, so making sure we are counseling about not smoking, making sure blood pressure is controlled, and cholesterol, and there's no diabetes. I think preventive health, from my standpoint as a family doctor, is the biggest thing I try to stress with my patients - trying to prevent disease before it happens."
While some women put off going to the doctor because they are uninsured or under-insured, Klindworth notes that there are programs to help them, including those at the state's community health centers.
"We are federally funded, and we have programs in place to help individuals without insurance, so that they can come in and have their testing done. Also, Women's Way is a state-funded program that is fantastic."
In addition to getting wellness exams and screenings, Klindworth also encourages women to make their health a top priority by eating healthy foods and staying physically active.
More information is online at communityhealthcare.net <http://www.communityhealthcare.net> , at ndhealth.gov/womensway <http://www.ndhealth.gov/womensway/> and at womenshealth.gov/whw <http://womenshealth.gov/whw> .
