Middle Georgia hospitals offer an array of events for health, entertainment
Middle Georgia is a mecca for health care, with hospitals in almost every county and regional medical centers drawing patients from across the state.
As part of their community relations efforts, hospitals in Middle Georgia offer a wide array of events to promote healthy lifestyles and encourage engagement with the public. Take a look at any hospital’s online calendar and you are bound to find an interesting event -- from support groups and 5K runs to cooking demonstrations and health fairs. Many of these events are free, or very low cost. All three local health systems also offer a wide range of support groups, including caregiver support groups, cancer survivor groups and mental health groups.
COLISEUM HEALTH SYSTEM
Coliseum Health System is comprised of Coliseum Medical Centers and Coliseum Northside Hospital. Coliseum offers numerous events throughout the year, ranging from movie screenings on the lawn at Coliseum Northside Hospital to events that offer free prostate cancer screenings to the public.
“Our goal at Coliseum Health Systems is to provide events throughout the year, many of which are free or low cost, to educate the community about important health issues and to educate them about the services we provide,” said Jennifer Bradley, director of community relations for Coliseum.
Coliseum has partnered with a number of cancer coalitions to put on events that build awareness of cancers, from the Undy 5000, a 5K run or walk against colon cancer, to a series of events to bring awareness of ovarian cancer in Middle Georgia, culminating in a the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Masquerade. Such events are at a slightly higher cost, but that money goes to benefit the fight against those cancers.
Coliseum also offers a women’s symposium each year built around a different theme and offering a series of lectures and demonstrations about women’s health. The most recent edition of the event was held in February.
In addition, the hospital offers several health fairs throughout the year, including an Orthopedic and Spine Health Fair at Northside Hospital with seminars by Coliseum doctors about such issues as heart health, self care, hormone optimization and sexual health.
The system also offers a slate of regular events for seniors under the auspices of its Stay Young University, a “community college for seniors” at Coliseum Northside Hospital, which includes classes, seminars and events geared toward helping seniors with social interaction, mobility and mental acuity. Among the events at SYU are weekly tai chi classes as well as monthly events, such as Wii bowling tournaments and craft projects, with most classes costing $5, interspersed with free seminars from the system’s doctors on health topics of interest to seniors.
For more information about events by Coliseum Health System, call 478-476-4646 or visit www.coliseumhealthsystem.com/calendar.
HOUSTON HEALTHCARE
Houston Healthcare includes the Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins and Perry Hospital and provides a wide range of events in Houston County.
“Health care, just like any other industry, to truly be effective needs to look up stream at the needs of the people they serve,” said Mary Stanley, community outreach coordinator for Houston Healthcare.
Houston Healthcare has established a Community Education and Services Department called EduCare that provides or coordinates most of the health system’s community outreach activities, Stanley said. Many of the events and classes are held in the new Education Center, which was completed in June 2014, and is located in the old Houston Mall in Warner Robins. The facility has four classrooms along with excellent audio-visual set up, Stanley said.
Some of Houston Healthcare’s larger community events include the Pink Picnic, highlighting the fight against breast cancer, held each October at the Museum of Aviation, and its Senior Camp, which is held at Rozar Park in Perry.
Houston Healthcare bases its programs on its Community Needs Assessment. Among the needs found in that assessment were: wellness promotion or prevention; access to appropriate health services; early detection and management of chronic disease; providing assistance to vulnerable populations.
As part of its efforts in wellness and health promotion, Houston Healthcare provides several ongoing programs including Walk With Ease, which provides sessions on starting and continuing a walking program; Healthy Living Classes, which provide weekly weigh-ins and ongoing education about improving health and wellness; Matter of Balance, which strives to improve balance and prevent falls among older adults and to help them increase their activity more safely.
Houston Healthcare also offers themed cooking schools such as “Summer Salads” and “Kids in the Kitchen.” It also offers exercise classes in partnership with community organizations, Stanley said.
Throughout the year, Houston Healthcare offers chronic disease management programs for diabetes, hypertension, heart failure and a “Better Breathers” program for adults with COPD or asthma. There is a SeniorCare Program that provides health education for seniors as well as an exercise program and a stroke prevention program that includes ongoing blood pressure monitoring.
Houston Healthcare also offers pregnancy related classes such as sibling classes, childbirth classes and breast-feeding classes.
For more information about events at Houston Healthcare, call 478-923-9771 or visit www.hhc.org/News-Events/Calendar-of-Events.
NAVICENT HEALTH
Newly rebranded as Navicent Health (from Central Georgia Health Systems), Medical Center, Navicent Health, and the Medical Center of Peach County continue to offer a wide array of free and low cost programs for area residents. Navicent’s foundation, the Medcen Community Health Foundation, also offers fun fundraising events, such as the Reindeer Run.
“Navicent exists for the primary purpose of helping the community navigate the path to personal health and wellness,” said Megan Allen, publications coordinator at The Medical Center in Macon. “Therefore, each of our events addresses personal health or community health in some way.”
Among the events Navicent sponsors in Macon are several health fairs throughout the year. The health fairs are public events open to everyone in the community, Allen said. While a few are specifically focused, including a men’s health fair in September and a maternity health fair in the spring, most are for the entire community.
Navicent also hosts a women’s health series titled “CEO of the Household.” Each of these quarterly lunch and learn events attracts large crowds. The lunch and learn events are held at the Macon Centreplex and discuss health and wellness ideas specifically related to women. Topics have included stress management, breast health and weight.
“(The ‘CEO of the Household’) series was the creation of Navicent’s President and CEO, Dr. Ninfa Saunders, who firmly believes that women give so much time to caring for others that they often neglect themselves,” Allen said. “The lunch and learn series allows women to schedule time to think about their own health and wellbeing.”
At the recently opened Medical Center of Peach County on the Ga. 247 Connector in Byron, the hospital holds a number of community events, including a weekly farmer’s market. Other events include health fairs, movies and concerts, as well as free health screenings.
For information about Navicent health fairs, call 478-633-6349. For all other Macon events, call 478-633-4733. For an events schedule, visit www.navicenthealth.org/community-events.html.
For information about Peach County events, call 478-654-2002 or www.peachregional.org/news-and-events.cfm.
This story was originally published October 3, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Middle Georgia hospitals offer an array of events for health, entertainment."