
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 30, 1991                   TAG: 9104010171
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-13   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

MUCH HELP HANDY FOR HEALTHIER LIVING

HATS OFF to the writer of the editorial "Healthy habits still ticker ticket" March 6. Prevention is a priority all can afford. And thankfully, the Roanoke Valley is rich in educational resources for those wishing a healthy lifestyle. Take a look!

Roanoke city and Alleghany Health District offer free blood-pressure screenings to individuals and groups. Health-risk appraisals, stress profiles, cholesterol screenings and body-composition evaluations are offered at a nominal fee - much cheaper than the cost of cardiac surgery, with the accompanying weeks of hospital and home rehabilitation. A public-health nurse and health educator will help you use the information uncovered by the screenings to develop a prevention-oriented lifestyle that meets your needs.

The Roanoke Valley Alive and Well Coalition of the Council of Community Services has ongoing community education programs throughout the year. These include Project Lean (Low Fat Eating of America Now), Quit and Win Smoking Cessation program, and Lighten Up Valley (LUV) Challenge weight-loss competition. Corporate and personal wellness programs are available through all three local hospitals as well as the YMCA, RMH Wellness Center, and the Lewis-Gale Clinic, to mention a few.

We at the Health Department echo the sentiments of the "Healthy habits" writer and encourage all valley residents to do their part to reduce skyrocketing medical costs by putting prevention into practice in their own lives. CARY ROEBUCK, R.N. Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Coordinator DONNA M. PROCTOR, M.S., CHES Health Educator Roanoke City Health Department ROANOKE

by CNB