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Health & Wellness Tips

On 3/16/17, CPF had the pleasure of co-hosting an event with Dr. Lee Ann O’Brien and our partners at NashvilleHealth and HealthierTN.
The event was a fun, relaxed party focused on healthy living. Attendees got to enjoy delicious healthy food, networking, and a brief presentation from a wellness panel. There was excellent discussion about patient resources and talking points to get your patients the right information. 

Some take aways were….

1. Getting your patients (and maybe their families) to understand that they need a lifestyle change vs a prescription/procedure is a challenge. Solutions included empowering at least one family member to make small changes. One excellent resource for the “small starts” initiative is HealthierTN’s app “Streaks”.

2. There is not always enough time in your patient’s appointment to cover ALL the health and wellness points that you would like to. One of the community’s mentors suggested asking your patient if they would like to make a change in a certain area (i.e. diet), and then proceed with your information based on the patient’s willingness to move forward on that topic. 
Tip: Have a network of health/lifestyle professionals on hand that you can refer your patients to. 

3. Advocacy! Make the time for events like TNAAP’s and TMA’s “Doctors’ Day on the Hill” to share relevant health information with TN’s legislators. 

4. Focus groups: If you are passionate about your patients having easier access to resources, consider identifying the top lifestyle issue among your patients and starting a focus group on that topic or finding a community partner that is hosting/can host the group. Often times a program such as the YMCA may already have a group your patients can join for free, it is important to be aware of the free resources that exist for your patients. KidCentralTN, Parent to Parent, and the TN Disability Pathfinder are great tools to locate resources. 

5. Always acknowledge your feelings. There was great discussion about protecting and taking care of yourself at the event; one of the biggest take aways was to not discount your emotions. If you feel sad, feel it! If you need help, get it! 
Tip: Try to refocus on the “big picture” when you feel particularly bothered by a case. 

Do you have any Health and Wellness tips to share?