Get Healthy CT’s first “Know Your Numbers” heart disease and
diabetes awareness campaign targeting Bridgeport residents — especially
the underserved — is being launched at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, at
Bridgeport City Hall, Wheeler Rooms A & B, 45 Lyon Terrace,
Bridgeport.
Volunteer nurses will perform blood pressure, blood sugar and body
mass index screenings for City Council members. The kickoff was supposed
to take place at a Jan. 21 council meeting but that meeting was
canceled due to weather.
During the month of February, local health initiative Get Healthy CT,
in cooperation with the Bridgeport Department of Health, is launching
“Know Your Numbers,” a city-wide grass-roots campaign to raise awareness
of heart disease and diabetes among the residents of Bridgeport.
Organizers hope to teach individuals the link between these numbers and
their overall health, and to identify unknown cases of cardiovascular
disease and diabetes, and encourage those with existing disease to
better manage it. This will be accomplished through free health
screenings (testing) targeting the underserved at churches,
participating schools and various locations throughout the city, with
referrals to their primary care provider for follow-up care. Those who
do not have a primary care provider will be referred to clinics that
offer primary care.
Get Healthy CT is a coalition of businesses and community
organizations, including Bridgeport Hospital, St. Vincent’s Medical
Center, local health departments and social service agencies,
collaborating to reduce obesity in the greater Bridgeport and New Haven
regions. Founded in 2010, it strives to educate and encourage people to
eat healthier and exercise more in order to stay healthy and productive.
To learn more, visit GetHealthyCT.org.