Health science experts and students from The Ohio State University will travel the state this month to teach healthy lifestyle behaviors, specifically geared to the prevention of heart attacks and strokes as part of the Department of Health & Human Services’ Million Hearts® Initiative.
Buckeye Wellness on Wheels (WOW) will offer free health screenings to community members in Wooster, Cleveland and Mansfield during the first health-focused bus tour of the state. The programs will include blood-pressure checks, body mass index, stress and nutrition assessments and wellness education.
Free healthy snacks and refreshments will be provided.
“So many people wait until a crisis to change their attitudes about lifestyles and healthy lifestyle behaviors. By bringing Buckeye Wellness on Wheels out into Ohio, we hope to show our state that making even just one healthy lifestyle change can help everyone live longer, happier lives,” said Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, associate vice president for health promotion, university chief wellness officer, and dean of the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University.
WOW activities are set for:
- April 17: Wooster, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wooster Community Center, 241 Bever St.
- April 17: Cleveland (Euclid) 4-7 p.m., Euclid Lakefront Community Center, One Bliss Lane
- April 18: Mansfield, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Longview Center, 1495 W. Longview Ave.
Buckeye WOW is sponsored by The Ohio State University Colleges of Education and Human Ecology, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health, as well as the Office of Outreach and Engagement, the Ohio State University Alumni Association and OSU Extension.
Students and faculty from the above colleges and offices will be on the WOW bus tour.
Million Hearts is a nationwide initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aimed at preventing one million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.
Ohio State’s health sciences community encompasses seven colleges and numerous medical facilities whose clinicians, researchers and educators have improved the lives of people and animals for more than a century using the best scientific evidence. Regional, national and international partnerships extend our impact across the state and around the world.
