The Medical Center is working to get men as excited about their health as they are about their cars with the Men’s Health Tune-Up.
“They give a lot of thought to taking care of their cars, but not so much of their health,” said Community Wellness Director Linda Rush. “If you don’t take care of your car, you’ll have problems. It’s the same with your health.”
The tune-up will be from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. June 4 at the National Corvette Museum. The event is free and open to men of all ages, but preregistration is required.
“We’re asking that the men call to register to get an idea of how many we’ll have,” Rush said.
The day will begin with a light breakfast and free screenings from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The presentations “Tune Up to Better Health” by Dr. Brian K. Macy, a family medicine and sports medicine doctor at Graves-Gilbert Clinic, and “Prostate Cancer: What All Men Need to Know” by Matthew Rutter, a urologist at Graves-Gilbert Clinic, will begin at 9:45 a.m.
“I’m going to talk about the general health screenings that are recommended by most of the national organizations that are out there, mainly for primary prevention of prostate cancer, colon cancer, blood pressure and vision,” Macy said. “I’ll also talk about how exercise is used as a primary preventive tool.”
Men are typically less likely to see a doctor unless it’s absolutely necessary, Macy said.
“I see them come when they’re urged on by a spouse or with their spouse,” he said. “It usually means that there’s something wrong, something a little more serious.”
Macy said the screenings are important.
“If we can prevent those serious things from happening, I think we will be a healthier community, a healthier society,” he said. “When we don’t get these screening mechanisms in place, we lose out on that ability to find these diseases early.”
The screenings will include blood pressure, body fat analysis, vision, skin cancer, back and neck, balance and colon cancer screening kits. Prostate cancer screening will be free to members of the Men’s Health Alliance and Senior Health Network, but those who are not members can join either program during the tune-up for $10 and receive the free PSA screening. Participants will also receive discounted tickets to the National Corvette Museum and passes for a Bowling Green Hot Rods game.
“We want to get men out into an atmosphere that will be comfortable and informal to get information on their health,” Rush said. “Sometimes men are a little more reluctant to set up physician appointments. This is an opportunity to not only get the screenings done, but to talk to professionals.”
— For more information or to preregister, call 745-0942 or toll free at 877-800-3824.
