Marlboro Park Hospital Launches New Program for Women
Healthy Woman Program to kick-off with Nationally Recognized Speaker
BENNETTSVILLE, SC, JULY 2, 2009 – Marlboro Park Hospital today announced a quarterly series of free seminars, health fairs, educational programs and interactive events that will focus on women. Healthy Woman programs are dedicated to improving the emotional, physical and fiscal well-being of both women and the families for which they care.
Healthy Woman will kick-off on Thursday, September 10, 2009, at The Skye in Downtown Bennettsville. A free health fair will take place from 4:00 – 6:00 pm, followed by a dinner at 6:00 pm featuring a nationally-noted motivational speaker who will address women’s health and life balance issues. The cost for the presentation and dinner is $10.00.
Lisa Smartt is a 44 year old woman who loves to laugh! When she is not struggling with dieting or learning 7th grade math, she’s busy speaking, writing a newspaper column, and developing a myriad of laundry innovations. Born in a small town in west Kentucky, she enjoys writing about small town life and the emotional roller coaster of marriage and parenting. Her husband of 20 years, and the love of her life, Philip, is cute and smart and rarely gets his feathers ruffled. Her beautiful boys are 10 and 12. They are precious. And yes, they fight. The Smartt’s live on 16 wooded acres in rural northwest Tennessee with two male cats who desperately need Prozac. Public speaking is Lisa’s passion and she has spoken to groups around the country on subjects like “Contentment in a Discontent World” and “We’re All in the Same Boat, So Grab a Lifeline.” Lisa believes laughter is a gift and LOVES to share with others her personal weaknesses, struggles, and the sheer JOY of daily living!
Women, who make between 80 and 90 percent of all healthcare decisions, often balance careers, primary and secondary families, issues with parents, and civic work. Healthy Woman was created by women for women to provide up-to-date healthcare and well-being information for their entire family. The program’s mission is to empower women of Marlboro County and the surrounding area with the knowledge and confidence to make informed healthcare and well-being decisions for themselves and their loved ones
The quarterly Healthy Woman presentations will cover physical and emotional healthcare, as well as financial well-being and spiritual development. Healthcare topics will include pertinent information on heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, menopause, nutrition, osteoporosis, stress management and life balance issues.
“There is an abundance of new research that shows that a woman’s body is not simply a smaller version of a man’s,” said Jeff Reece, MPH CEO. “This research is increasingly important both in recognizing and treating women’s illnesses and diseases.”
In the area of heart disease alone there are significant differences. Women’s symptoms are generally not the same as those of men and, according to the American Heart Association, every year since 1984 more American women than men have died of cardiovascular disease. Recent surveys show that most women do not know that it is one of the top killers of women.
Additionally, a recent survey conducted in Memphis, Tenn., revealed that 80 percent of women surveyed were at risk for their first heart attack, but only 29 percent of them realized it.
“We want the women of Marlboro County to understand those differences and be to make informed decisions about their healthcare, as well as that of their families,” said Reece. A woman’s advisory council has been selected to assist the hospital in identifying areas in which the women in our community are interested.
For more information about Healthy Woman, the free health fair or to purchase tickets to the dinner presentation, visit www.marlboroparkhospital.com or call 843-454-8404.