Los Angeles, CA – L.A. Care Health Plan is celebrating Women’s Health Month with an event intended to raise awareness of the many health issues facing women. On Thursday, October 1, women will participate in A Morning of “Me” Time where they will be able to receive free health screenings, free mini-massages, as well as listen to an inspirational talk by radio personality/author MOTHER LOVE on how to stay healthy. The celebration will be held at L.A. Care’s Family Resource Center from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 3180 E. Imperial Highway in Lynwood.
In addition to free massages, A Morning of “Me” Time will offer blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) screenings, raffle prizes, health education information, and the opportunity to sign up for free health education and exercise classes offered at the Family Resource Center. MOTHER LOVE will speak about her 111 pounds weight loss and how she has kept the weight off, while self-esteem expert Martha Navarro will speak on how to be a happier person.
“Many of us take care of our family members—our children, our husbands, sometimes other relatives—and neglect our own care,” says Dr. Elaine Batchlor, Chief Medical Officer at L.A. Care. “But in order to take care of our families, we must also care for ourselves by becoming more physically active, eating healthy, and not smoking. Taking these steps will prevent or delay many diseases that strike us as women such as heart attacks and strokes, two of the top three leading causes of death for women in the United States.”
The 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, reported that among L.A. County women between the ages of 25 and 85 years old:
- 1 in every 2 is either overweight or obese
- 3 in every 10 have or have had high blood pressure
- 1 in every 11 has diabetes
- 1 in every 10 is a current smoker
- 1 in every 4 has high cholesterol (from 2005 CHIS Survey)
All of these conditions are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.
“According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease kills more than 450,000 women in the U.S. each year, or about one every minute. Sadly, 80 percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if they make healthy lifestyle changes,” says Dr. Batchlor.
A Morning of “Me” Time is made possible by the ABCs of Women’s Health: Prevention Matters! Campaign. L.A. Care is a partner and sponsor of the ABCs of Women’s Health campaign, which includes ABC 7, the L.A. County Office of Women’s Health, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, Aetna, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, CalOptima, and MOMS Orange County. The mission of the ABCs of Women’s Health campaign is to raise awareness of the many health issues facing women and offering resources throughout Southern California to help them lead healthy lifestyles.
L.A. Care’s Family Resource Centers in Lynwood and Inglewood offer a variety of free classes such as nutrition and exercise classes, Pilates, salsa dance aerobics, line dancing classes, Weight Watchers® classes, cooking demonstrations, chronic disease management programs, breast and cervical health classes, and self-esteem/domestic violence and postpartum depression support groups among many others to help women stay healthy.
###
About L.A. Care Health Plan
L.A. Care Health Plan (Local Initiative Health Authority of Los Angeles County) is a public entity and community-accountable health plan serving residents of Los Angeles County through a variety of programs including L.A. Care Covered™, Medi-Cal, L.A. Care’s Healthy Kids, L.A. Care Health Plan Medicare Advantage HMO SNP, and PASC-SEIU Homecare Workers Health Care Plan. L.A. Care is a leader in developing new programs through innovative partnerships designed to provide health coverage to vulnerable populations and to support the safety net. With more than one million members, L.A. Care is the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan.