Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center will open its community health information center on Saturday, May 15 at 10 a.m. at Hanes Mall.
Called BestHealth, the center is located on the second level of Hanes Mall at the mall entrance between Belk and JC Penney. The center will provide a library of books, audio and video tapes, limited Internet access, and computer software to help area residents become better informed about their health and how to remain well.
Grand Opening activities include:
Saturday, May 15
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Free cholesterol and diabetes screenings, cooking demonstrations by Lowes Foods Chef Thomas Pirro, and light refreshments compliments of Lowes Foods. Screenings will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sunday, May 16
2 p.m. - Heart healthy cooking class with Bart Ortiz of Lucky 32
Monday, May 17
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Open to public ages 55 and older. Height, weight, and body mass index measurement, grip and strength screening, blood pressure screenings, and oxygenation screening.
Tuesday, May 18
6 to 7 p.m. - Winston Cup drivers Jeff Burton, Ernie Irvan and Joe Nemechek will be on hand to autograph items for their fans. Photographs will not be allowed due to the short duration of the drivers'' visit.
Wednesday, May 19
1 to 6 p.m. - Free stroke screening sponsored by the Stroke Center of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the National Stroke Association. Stroke screenings include cholesterol, blood pressure, carotid artery check, written health risk assessment and a 3-lead EKG if necessary. Preregistration is required for this screening by calling Health On-Call at 716-2255 or 1-800-446-2255. Appointments should take approximately 15 minutes.
Thursday, May 20
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- Free hearing screenings for children ages 4 and up are sponsored by the Hearing and Speech Department of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Preregistration is required by calling Health On-Call at 716-2255 or 1-800-446-2255.
Friday, May 21
8:30 to 11 a.m. - MallWalkers Reception. All MallWalkers are invited to attend. Refreshments provided. Free cholesterol screenings complements of the Heart Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Saturday, May 22
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Kids'' Day
Children and their parents are invited to visit BestHealth and the Brenner Children''s Corner. Activities include face painting, free giveaways, story telling, and music.
BestHealth will offer daily blood pressure checks, weekly screenings and seminars at low cost or no cost to the public. The center will be open to the public and will keep regular mall hours, 8:30 a.m. until 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; and 1 until 6 p.m. Sunday.
The center is one of many initiatives -- all with the name BestHealth -- created by the Medical Center to offer ongoing health information and education opportunities to people throughout our region.
Other BestHealth initiatives include: a community health calendar; the CAT-TV shows; BestHealth newsletters, which are inserted in regional news, sports and women''s magazines; a senior membership program; and a new consumer website.
BestHealth will be the first health information center in the state located in a regional mall, targeted at educating the community at large about health issues.
Cynthia Holland, a registered nurse with 16 years experience at the Medical Center, will be the center''s manager. She is interested in hearing ideas about future seminar topics and screenings. She can be reached at 716-4258.
For more information about BestHealth, call Health On-Call at 716-2255 or 1-800-446-2255.
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Media Contact: Rae Beasley (336) 716-6878 or Jim Steele (336) 716-3487.