For Betsy Hodges, LPN and Clinic Nurse at Lakeland Senior High School, an ini tial visi t at the Lakeland Employees Health Clinic in Apr i l 2016 was nothing shor t of l i fe-changing and her subsequent medical tr eatment has been l i fe-saving!

?I had the pr ivi lege of being seen by Patr icia Bayshore, ARNP. I t was a r egular visi t to establish a pr imar y care practi tioner , and I had no par ticular complaints other than some bronchitis,? Betsy shared. Routine lab work was ordered as well as a chest x-r ay. That is when Ms. Hodges knew something was w rong. ?My f i r st career was as an X-ray tech and I r eal ized from looking at the f i lms that something was not r ight. Patr icia cal led me the next day to say the r esults were suspicious of cancer and fur ther testing was requir ed,? Betsy r ecalled. After additional tests, the diagnosis was confi rmed. ?I was not a smoker , but I grew up w ith second-hand smoke.? The week before Memor ial Day Betsy learned she had stage 4 metastatic cancer. ?A local cancer special ist told me that no one could cure me, and this made me ver y angr y. Negativi ty was not what I needed,? Betsy chided. Dur ing several weeks of waiting for a more defined diagnosis, Betsy had contacted Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) for information and an appointment. ?I was tr eated l ike I was the only patient they had to talk to that day. My appointment was set, and my insurances were approved in network,? she added.

In ear ly June, Betsy met w ith her CTCA network in New nan, GA, which is located south of Atlanta. Her multidiscipl inar y TEAM included a medical oncologist, naturopath, nutr i tionist, pastor , nur ses, care coordinator s, and many others that attend to al l aspects of her cancer tr eatment. Betsy explained, ?The naturopath provides

supplements to keep the patient strong and advice on medications that could cause interactions or problems. The nutr i tionist advises what foods to eat, such as organic fr ui ts and vegetables, and those to avoid, such as cured meats.?

Meeting w ith the CTCA Team ever y two weeks, Betsy r eceives a combination of four di f ferent chemotherapy drugs. Anti -nausea medication is given before her infusions begin and this has enabled Betsy to r eturn to work w ithout side effects except for a l i ttle fatigue. ?After the f i r st round of six tr eatments I had CT scans that showed a r eduction in the size of the tumors. I then had a second round of six tr eatments. Again there was reduction in the size of the tumors. I was then told that my cancer was not spreading or progressing in any way, and I was put on maintenance medication,? Betsy explained.

Betsy has never been told her cancer can be cured, but she believes that she w i l l one day be a cancer sur vivor. ?The tr eatment at CTCA gives me and other patients hope and fai th of a cure. The tr eatment r eceived is extr aordinar y and discover ies are being made ever y day. I cannot say enough about the wonder ful people there,? she exclaims. ?Even housekeepers are kind and give you hugs and prayers. There is not one ion of negativi ty in the whole place. You are always greeted w ith warmth and smiles.? Although Betsy has her CTCA Team in GA, she has continued suppor t at the Employee Health Clinic. ?Patr icia has maintained contact w ith me throughout my tr eatment and cal ls to make sure I?m f ine. I?m ver y appreciative of her care and concern.?

The Lakeland and Haines City Employee Health Clinics are avai lable for al l employees and those reti r ees who are covered under the School Board Flor ida Blue health plan. Please cal l 863-419-3322 to make an appointment.

Hope and Fai th of a Cure

Wellness Matter sHealth Fair Edi tion

Wellness Mat ters is a free monthly

publicat ion of Polk County Schools

Employee Wellness Program

February 2017

Spotl ight of the month shines on...

Betsy Hodges

What's inside

Hope and Faith of a Cure 1

$1,500 wor th of FREE

screenings 2

Health Fair checkl ist 3

Know your numbers! 4

Wellness Matters 2

16th Annual Polk County Public Schools Employee & Retiree Health Fair

Saturday March 11, 2017 7am - Noon

First United Methodist Church 72 Lake Morton Drive Lakeland, FL 33803

Win great door prizes, enjoy 55+ vendors, and learn great ways to improve your health and well-being. To register, visit www.polk-f l.net (keyword: wellness) or call (863)-648-3057

Do you k now your numbers?Good health depends on many impor tant numbers, such as total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, tr iglycer ides, glucose, blood pressure and others. Get al l of these done and more at the 2017 Health Fair. Determine your r isk factor s for hear t disease and diabetes w ith a simple blood test. An 8-hour fasting is r ecommended for the most accurate r esults, but only a 2-hour fast is r equir ed.

A n appointment is requi red for blood w ork . To schedule your time, please visi t w w w.polk-f l .net (keyword: wellness). For those w ithout computer

access, cal l (863)-648-3057 to make an appointment.

Get Empow ered - Li fe Sav ing Screenings!Join the PCPS Wellness Team, fabulous volunteers and generous vendors/health care provider s at the 16th Annual Employee & Retir ee Health Fair . Al l par ticipants w i l l r eceive great incentives and screenings as fol lows:

- Blood Wor k -- Flor ida Blue, one of two 2017 Health Fair ti t le sponsors, w i l l conduct a quick f inger stick screening to r eveal your glucose, tr iglycer ides, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and TC/HDL ratio. Combine these w ith your weight, height, and blood pressure and you have the foundation for your per sonalized health r epor t card. Health coaches w i l l be avai lable on-si te to r eview your r esults. Appointments are required; visit www.polk-fl.net (keyword: wellness) to register or call (863)-648-3057 if you are without computer access.

- Medicat i on Managem ent -- Do you have questions r egarding your medications? You are not alone! Visi t WellDyne, one of the 2017 Health Fair ti t le sponsors, and get the answers you need to keep you healthy.

- Sk in Cancer Scr eening -- Visi t Suncoast Skin Solutions for a comprehensive skin exam; no appointment needed.

- Mem or y Loss -- The Flor ida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer 's Association offer s fr ee memor y screenings at the Health Fair. Each screening takes 15 minutes. Email thompsons@alzflgulf.org or call (863)-292-9210 to schedule an appointment.

- Hear ing -- Loss of hear ing happens gradually over time and affects over 34 mi l l ion Amer icans. Visi t Winter Haven Audiology at the Health Fair to get your ear s checked! No appointment needed.

- Vi sion -- Visi t several vendors to check your eyesight. No appointment necessar y.- Bone Densi t y -- Weak bones decrease the abi l i ty to do dai ly activi ties and can cause pain. Stop

by the Lakeland Regional Health/RIS booth to have your bone densi ty measured. No appointment necessary.

- Vein Check -- Stop by the Vascular Vein booth for an ultr asound screening, which checks vein health. I t is quick and painless; no appointment required.

- Foot Check -- Sensor y loss in feet is common among people w ith diabetes. A simple 3-minute foot check could save a l imb. Have yours screened today. No appointment necessary.

- Wear your School Boar d nam e badge- Br ing your School Boar d/Flor i da Blue i nsur ance car d, i f appl i cable. - Ret i r ees m ay com plete blood wor k ; br i ng a for m of i dent i f i cat i on. - Al l Employees are el igible to attend the Health Fair even i f t hey ar e not cover ed under

PCSB insur ance.- Check in for lab work at your appointment time -- not before.- A spouse covered under the PCSB insurance can attend the Health Fair at no cost. A

spouse not covered under the PCSB insurance must pay $45 cash (no bi l ls larger than $20) for Flor ida Blue screenings.

- Make an appointment for spouse's blood work at w w w.polk-f l .net (keyword: wellness) using spouse's contact information.

- Al low about 30 minutes to complete blood work and personal health assessment. - Al low 1-2 hours to visi t more than 55 health r elated vendors. - Attend the Health Fair , meet your fr iends, w in pr izes, and learn the best ways to

improve your health.

Heal th Fai r Check l ist

Wellness Matters 3

Special Thank s To Our Ti t le, Gold, and Si lver Sponsors!

Wellness Matters 4

K now Your Numbers!Cholesterol is a soft, fat-l ike substance found in the blood and in al l the body's cel ls. When i t bui lds in the inner walls of plaque can nar row the ar ter y walls and reduce blood f low , which can cause blockages that can lead to blood clots, hear t attacks or strokes.

Surpr isingly, your body actually needs cholesterol to function normally and to stay healthy. However , r emember that our bodies are ful ly capable of making al l the cholesterol i t needs. I t 's what you put into your body (yes, we mean those salty snacks and baked goods), and in some cases your fami ly health histor y that causes trouble.

I t 's also impor tant to note that al l cholesterol isn't cr eated equally. There are two types; good and bad. And understanding the di f ference and know ing the levels of each in your blood is cr i tical. Too much of one type, or not enough of another can put you at r isk!

Types of Cholesterol:

- LDL Cholester ol : This is the type that, when too much is present in the blood str eam, can clog your ar ter ies natural ly by the body, but is also inher i ted from your parents or even grandparents. Eating a diet high in saturated fat, tr ans fat, and cholesterol also increases how much you have.

- HDL Cholester ol : High levels of this type of cholesterol r emoves excess plaque from your ar ter ies.

- Tr iglycer ides: This is a form of fat made in the body. I f you have an inactive l i festyle, a diet high in carbohydrates, smoke, are obese or dr ink too much alcohol, i t can r aise your total cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol has no signs or symptoms, so i t 's impor tant to know your numbers. Values are l isted on the r ight.

The A BC's of DiabetesFlor ida Blue and PCPS Wellness Program

The ABCs of Diabetes is a voluntar y diabetes self-care program. As an active PCPS Health Plan and ABCs member , those enrol led w i l l r eceive diabetes education, suppor t, approved supplies and medications at no cost. The ABCs active membership r equir es on-going par ticipant compliance w ith program obligations. Here are a few of the benefi ts ABC's of Diabetes par ticipants enjoy:

Benef i t s:

- Free foot exams- Lipid, HbA1c, kidney function, and blood

pressure screenings- Free glucose monitor

No Copaym ents:

- Al l diabetes medications- Gener ic hyper tension medications- Gener ic cholesterol medications

Educat ion:

Lake Gibson Middle School Media Center , 6901 N Socrum Loop Road, Lakeland, FL; 4:30-6:30 pm

- Fitness & Nutr i tion - THURSDAY, 2/02/17- Medical Issues - THURSDAY, 2/9/17- Meal Planning - THURSDAY, 2/16/17- Htn & Hear t Disease- THURSDAY, 2/23/17

Total Cholesterol:

- < 200mg/dL = Desir able level- 200-239 = Border l ine high- >240 = High

HDL:

- <50 mg/dL = Major r isk factor for hear t disease

- >60 mg/dL = Considered protective

LDL:

- <100 mg/dL = Optimal- 100-129 = Above optimal- 130-159 = Border l ine high- 160-189 = High