Women 18 and older can enjoy free health screenings and fitness demonstrations and take part in a variety of fun and informative educational sessions on health topics during the 20th Annual Irene W. Pennington Wellness Day for Women.
The event will be from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the C.B. Pennington, Jr., Building at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Rd. in Baton Rouge.
“There wasn’t anything quite like this 20 years ago. Wellness Day for Women offers attendees the opportunity to learn more about health issues and to take advantage of free health screenings,” said Catherine Champagne, PhD, professor and director of Pennington Biomedical’s Dietary Assessment and Nutrition Counseling Laboratory. “That’s just as important today as it was when the first event was held.”
The event includes a REFIT Fitness Demonstration by Women’s Center for Wellness. There will also be health and wellness screenings that include electrocardiograms (EKGs), blood pressure, blood glucose, body fat, body mass index, colorectal cancer kits, eye pressure, hearing, HIV, skin cancer, stroke risk, and cholesterol. Albertson’s will also be providing free flu shots at the event.
A general session about Understanding Preventative Healthcare will be offered at 9 a.m. by Lauren Barfield, MD, and Tisha Dooley, nurse practitioner, from Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group.
There will be breakout sessions at 10:15 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. The sessions and speakers include:
-Type 2 Diabetes 101
Brittani Breaux, MD, Woman’s Hospital
-Understanding Your Risk for Heart Disease: Early Detection Screenings, Prevention and Heart Health Tips
Nakia A. Newsome, MD, Baton Rouge Cardiology Center
-Mental Health Wellness: When is it more than stress?
Jeremy Ragsdell, MD, Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group
-Is Cancer Preventable? The Role of Luck vs. Lifestyle in Women’s Cancer Risk
Justin Brown, PhD, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
-Medicare Changes for 2020
Ron Williams, Senior Health Insurance Information Program, Louisiana Department of Insurance
-Fit for Life – Interactive session will feature several local companies providing exercises, demonstrations, screenings and advice to guide you on your fitness journey.
For more information or to register, go to https://www.pbrc.edu/womens-wellness/.
The 2020 sponsors include Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, Peoples Health, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center, Woman’s Hospital, Baton Rouge Cardiology Center, Team Blue, Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Albertson’s, Williamson Eye Center, MacLaff Inc., Jason’s Deli, Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, and LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.