WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Southeastern North Carolina ranks among the highest in the nation for cardiovascular disease. For a project to help improve health in Columbus and Robeson Counties, local residents are being recruited to lead education sessions in their churches or community groups. The sessions will be based on a training manual, “Your Health, Your Life,” developed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and modified for local use. The lay health educators will attend a 90-minute training session. They will be asked to lead at least nine sessions for community groups. No prior teaching or health background is required.
The education effort is part of HEARTQUEST, a collaborative project of NHLBI, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and various agencies in Columbus and Robeson Counties. The goal is to help the community become more aware of heart disease and its prevention.
For more information, call Meleah Stanley, local HEARTQUEST representative, at (910) 642-9610.
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Media Contact: Barbara Hahn, (336) 716-6877