Community October 01, 2008
Putting Men in Control of Their Health
Carl Boyd is motivated. At 56, he will do whatever it takes to become a full time police officer – keeping fit with running and basketball, and even going for a physical for the first time in five years. His problem was a lack of health insurance. He’d had good jobs in the past with Pratt and Whitney and U.S. Surgical, but his more recent temporary and security guard jobs didn’t cover it. Last year, he heard about a program at Yale-New Haven Hospital that included health clinic hours for men. He made an appointment.
“Lots of men put off medical care until they develop an illness that becomes serious and difficult to treat,” said Gary Smart, a special projects and clinical support manager for YNHH. Two years ago, Smart helped YNHH launch the Men’s Health Enrichment Program, a community outreach initiative designed to get more men in the Greater New Haven area back in the healthcare loop.
Smart gives health information lectures in the community to men of all socioeconomic backgrounds. He keeps a database of 225 men who have filled out lifestyle profiles to help him gear the program to their needs. He enlists healthcare providers to distribute “health passports”– wallet-sized cards men can carry to provide a “snapshot” of their baseline medical history, including height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and P.S.A. numbers, along with other information.
Boyd went to the clinic for his physical last year and had blood work, a colonoscopy, an HIV test and other routine screenings. He passed with flying colors, followed advice to quit a 12-year smoking habit and is now working toward his career goal with renewed confidence.
Article originally appeared in the fall 2008 issue of the Yale-New Haven Hospital Magazine (Page 6)
http://www.ynhh.org/online/magazines/fall08mag.pdf
