Gary Payne strives to attend as many health-related events as he can.
“They have a lot of valuable information. I’m getting up in age, so any information I can get will be beneficial,” the Bowling Green man said.
Payne is considering going to The Medical Center’s Men’s Health Tune-Up, which will be Saturday during the Bowling Green Hot Rods game against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Bowling Green Ballpark. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the game starts at 7:05 p.m. A game ticket, which is $10, is required for entry.
“A ticket to the game is a ticket to get those screenings done,” said Linda Rush, community wellness director for The Medical Center. “We’ll be set up when the gate opens for men who want to get their screenings early. We’ll be set up with different screenings where they can do it at any time during the game.”
Nine booths will be set up during the game. Screenings that will be offered include those for blood pressure, grip strength, lung health, sleep apnea, body fat analysis, hearing and the prostate-specific antigen tests for prostate cancer for men over age 40, Rush said.
Screenings and participation are for men ages 18 and older.
Men can get free memberships to the Men’s Health Alliance, which addresses men’s health concerns. The membership, which usually costs a one-time membership fee of $10, includes free health screenings, discounts on select screenings and exercise programs offered through The Medical Center, a quarterly newsletter and access to special events.
“Over the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve had a men’s health event in June,” Rush said. “We’re taking the health information to where the men already are.”
Men will get a scorecard that they can present to each booth. Those under 40 who go to the PSA screening booth will receive information to help complete their card. Participants who complete the card can be entered into drawings for prizes provided by the Hot Rods, including the grand prize, a Hot Rods luxury suite valued at $600.
“It’s a fun evening. We had 150 (participants) last year, but the ballgames bring in such a large crowd,” Rush said. “It will be interesting to see how many men participate.”
The Hot Rods provided prizes for last year’s Tune-Up, which was at the National Corvette Museum, said Ryan Gates, the Hot Rods’ general manager.
“We saw the turnout and demographic of men and thought it would be a good fit,” he said.
The games average about 3,500 people, but Gates expects more than 4,000 for Saturday’s game.
“I think (men) tend not to always do little things to check on our health. We get to address a lot of different categories in one small area,” he said. “We encourage men to come out, all families to come out. Men’s health is families’ health.”
Payne said he enjoyed last year’s event. He was interested in learning about prostate cancer and what’s available now to test for and treat it.
“My wife encourages me to go because of the seriousness of prostate cancer,” he said.
Payne appreciates the way that health information is easily accessible in Bowling Green.
“I’m from Massachusetts by way of Oregon. I appreciate all the functions for men and women,” he said. “I think they’re very professionally done.”
No comments:
Post a Comment