Free monthly cholesterol, diabetes and blood-pressure screening for center, Alliance staff

Brief

Are you at risk for coronary-heart disease? Find out by participating in free cholesterol, diabetes and blood-pressure screening through the Occupational Health Program in the Environmental Health & Safety Department. Occupational-health nurses utilize the Cholestech LDX System, which, provides cholesterol and glucose results in five minutes, all from a simple finger stick. The entire appointment takes about 10-15 minutes. Employees will walk away with a printout of their test results and information about their risk for developing coronary-heart disease.

The American Heart Association recommends that everyone age 20 and older have a fasting "lipoprotein profile" every five years. This test is done after a nine-12-hour fast without food, liquid or pills. It gives information about total cholesterol; low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol; high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol; and triglycerides (blood fats). A glucose test to screen for diabetes is also a recommended test. Diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity all can lead to an increased occurrence of coronary-artery disease.

The screening is offered the second Wednesday and the third Thursday of every month. To schedule an appointment for cholesterol, diabetes or blood-pressure screening, contact Wendy Krause, program assistant to the occupational-health nurse at (206) 667-3474, or e-mail ohn@fhcrc.org.

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