April 26, 2019 at 3:46 p.m.
Lakeland Pantry, Howard Young partner to provide health screenings
Lakeland Pantry, Howard Young partner to provide health screenings
"A Medical Mission Health Committee involving pantry and hospital leadership was created to develop a sustainable plan for the delivery of screenings and support services in alignment with our identified community health needs," said Laurie Oungst, chief administrative officer for Howard Young Medical Center.
Based on county statistics, Vilas and Oneida counties have a higher percent of children and adults that are uninsured compared to state average.
"We recognize that lack of insurance can be a barrier to receiving care. In addition, access to healthy food and access to health services were the top two needs identified by low income participants that completed a recent survey as part of our hospital's Community Health Needs Assessment," Oungst added.
The committee has developed a plan to provide blood pressure checks and glucose checks to screen those with hypertension and diabetes - two leading chronic diseases in the community.
"We will connect those with screenings out of normal range to follow up care," explained Jacqui Monge, Howard Young Medical Center director of nursing and committee participant. "In addition to screenings, registered dieticians will be present to offer nutrition consults and encourage selection of healthy food choices by providing samples and recipes. "
Roughly 1,300 individuals are served by the Lakeland Pantry each month and many will benefit from health services and resources. The health screenings and educational offerings will be offered three times per month.
"We have been able to advance access to food, clothing and other essential items for our community through the work of our volunteers and our partnership with the Howard Young Foundation," Lakeland Pantry director Lorna Springate said. "We are grateful to the leadership at Howard Young Medical Center for reaching out to offer health services."
A dedicated space within the pantry has been created to provide the services.
"We were able to transform an unused space within the pantry to provide a private area for care to be delivered," Springate said. "All materials and furnishings were donated by the hospital and members of the hospital facility's team donated their time to build the room."
"We look forward to growing services over time - based on the needs - but want to begin with a basic set of services that can be consistently delivered," Oungst said. "All services will be provided on a volunteer basis and free of charge to those seeking care. It is a way we can live our Mission and bring our Value of Service outside the walls of the hospital to the community we serve."
Leaders from the Lakeland Pantry and Howard Young Medical Center marked the formal launch of the program on Tuesday, April 16 with a ribbon cutting. Lakeland Pantry is at 1707 U.S. Highway 51 in Woodruff. For more information, call 715-358-2222.
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