HANCOCK COUNTY — The New Year has long been considered a time to reset good intentions.
With that in mind, several local organizations are encouraging the public to focus on their health by scheduling annual exams, screenings and vaccinations for 2024.
“We all get busy with life and forget that we need to stop and take care of ourselves,” said Nicole Mann, practice manager at the Jane Pauley Community Health Center in Greenfield.
The center — which serves mostly uninsured and under-insured clients — is helping clients start the new year off right by encouraging them to schedule everything from flu shots to mammograms.
“Sometimes when we set these appointments and get those reminders it sets off that little voice in our head telling us to take care of ourselves,” Mann said.
“Once you get that stuff taken care of, it’s a good refresher for the year. It cleans your mind and kind of relaxes you to know they I’ve taken care of all my stuff, now I can tackle the year of the day in front of me. I think it gets you moving in the right direction,” she said.
The same message is being shared by the Hancock Health Behavioral Health Service Line and Connection Center, which connects people with an array of health and wellness providers.
“(We) encourage annual wellness visits with a primary care physician to help live your healthiest life.
“Wellness visits are a great proactive move to keep and improve your overall health,” said the organization’s Healthy Community Manager, Christina DeWitt.
Such visits can help identify and treat possible health issues early, and provide personalized advice from your physician, she said.
Such visits can also serve as a catalyst for overall good health.
At the Jane Pauley center, clients have the opportunity to take home healthy food from the center’s on-site pantry.
“They can come in up to once a week and stock up on whatever food their family needs. We’ve got all the staples, like fruits and vegetables, potatoes, brad, meat and dairy,” said Mann.
“We know that when people are food insecure that affects their physical and mental health negatively, which is why having access to this is so good for them,” she said.
Hancock Health’s Behavioral Health Service Line can also direct people to food pantries and tips on how to prepare healthy meals.
In addition to focusing on healthy eating and exercise, wellness visits can also start the conversation about potential mental health treatment and support.
“Mental wellness includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. Focusing on mental wellness in the new year is a great way to place emphasis on practices that nurture and enhance our mental health,” said DeWitt.
These practices may include regular exercise, sufficient sleep, mindfulness, and seeking mental health support with a therapist or psychiatrist as needed,” she said.
Mann said the Jane Pauley center also puts an emphasis on mental health, with psychiatric nurses and three counselors on staff at the Greenfield center.
“A lot of people don’t think about their mental health, but if you are tired and sluggish every day or have low energy, those are often signs of depression, and depression is very treatable,” she said.
“When you schedule and attend your annual health screenings, the doctor can look for signs like this and help direct you towards the proper treatment,” said Mann, adding that those without insurance are charged on an income-based sliding scale.
While nonprofits like the Jane Pauley center help patients with the financial burden of healthcare, Mann said transportation to and from healthcare appointments is another common hurdle.
“Most of the time it’s because they don’t have access to care close to them or they don’t have any mode of transportation, so we’re trying to break that barrier,” said Mann.
She encourages clients to check out RIDE Hancock, the ride service offered by Hancock County Senior Services.
The ride service is available to any Hancock County resident for rides within the county, although the service accommodates a trip outside the county about once a week.
“We have people who use us to go to doctor appointments, dentist appointments, to the grocery,” said Suzanne Derengowski, executive director of Hancock County Senior Services.
“We take them to the wellness center, to get their car from the shop, just anywhere they want to go.”
Rides cost $4 per stop, but are donation-only for riders aged 60 and above for medical appointments.
Derengowski encourages clients to schedule their rides for medical visits as soon as they make their appointments.
While the service typically requires 24 to 48 hours advance notice, “call as soon as you make your appointment so we can get you on the books for a ride,” she said. “We’ll work with you and your doctor to make sure you get to where you need to go.”
All 14 of RIDE Hancock’s vehicles are handicapped-accessible and equipped to transport a wheelchair or other ambulatory equipment, said the director.
“Our drivers are all specially trained to help anyone with those needs. If someone needs a caregiver or an advocate to go along with them, the advocate is not charged for the ride,” she said.
As director of Hancock County Senior Services, Derengowski encourages her clients to make caring for their own health a top priority.
“They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so it’s definitely worthwhile,” she said.
For more information on RIDE Hancock, call 317-462-3758.
To connect with the Jane Pauley Center, call 463-218-6966.
To connect with Hancock Health’s Behavioral Health Service Line, call 317-468-4231.
