As a 58-year old attorney and company vice president, Steve Gerhart was open to attending a company-sponsored visit to the Center for Preventive Medicine in Sioux City, Iowa, but he didn’t expect to learn anything new -- that is until comprehensive blood work revealed that his cholesterol was too high. Says Steve, “My dad lived until age 93 and my mom died earlier from a stroke related to high blood pressure, so I figured since my blood pressure was normal, everything else would be too.” Indeed, Steve’s blood pressure turned out to be fine, but his cholesterol did not. At the end of his visit, Steve met with a staff doctor from the Center, who explained his test results and the implications of high cholesterol. In addition to nutritional counseling Steve received earlier in the day, the doctor prescribed several over-the-counter remedies to reduce cholesterol, including niacin and fish oil tablets. The doctor also recommended a calcium supplement to lessen the effects of the bone loss detected in a scan of Steve’s hip.
Good-bye to Pizza and Fries
After a full day of testing at the Center, including a thorough physical, upper body ultrasound, stress test, bone density scan and other tests, Steve met with a lifestyle counselor to evaluate his diet and exercise plan. The findings? “She told me to lower my fat intake and follow a Mediterranean diet, eat less, exercise more and to watch my weight. As Americans, it’s very tempting to say, ‘I’ll have fries with that,’ but it’s not very healthy.” Steve has acted on the counselor’s recommendations both at work and at home. At work, he skips meals out and instead warms up soup in his office, while at home, he and his family call for pizza delivery less often and now seek healthier meal options. Steve is also riding his bicycle more frequently.
Baseline for the Future
“The best part about my visit to the Center for Preventive Medicine is that I now have a baseline for the future,” says Steve. He feels that the tests obtained at the Center are very valuable in case his health changes and the results are needed for purposes of comparison. “The other company executives agreed with me -- we don’t want to wait until we are on our death beds to be proactive about our health. We’d rather monitor it now and take quick action if something changes.” Steve has already had a follow-up exam after his initial visit to the Center. His doctor explained that his cholesterol had improved, but not enough. Steve plans to continue to follow his new diet and exercise plan in addition to his prescribed medicines, and will meet with the doctor again in two months. “I appreciate the follow-up I receive from the Center,” says Steve. “Oversight is good -- it keeps me on track.”
Great Employee Benefit
Steve’s company sent all five executives to the Center for Preventive Medicine as a company-paid benefit. The group was so impressed with the Center that they have agreed to redo the tests every two to three years to ensure they stay healthy. Says Steve Gerhart, “I think it’s tremendous that I received this level of care as an employee benefit. I never fully appreciated the concept of preventive medicine before I visited the Center. Now I feel like it’s an essential part of every executive compensation package.”
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