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Trilogy's 2014 Summer of Wellness
Greetings!
A person's physical health and mental health are inextricably linked. Individuals who are living with a mental illness are more likely to live with co-morbidities, including heart disease; diabetes; and obesity. Throughout the year, Trilogy focuses on fostering overall wellness for each and every person who receives mental health and primary care services from us. We believe that people can and do make good choices for themselves when offered accurate information, a wide-array of recovery options, acceptance, and support.
This year, Trilogy proclaimed the months of June, July and August our "Summer of Wellness" and has renewed our efforts toward creating a campus where health is at the forefront of everything we do. Through our annual Passport to Wellness Fair, our commitment to our smoke-free campus, and the efforts of our Integrated Healthcare clinic staff in educating and informing our clients about health and wellness, we are working to provide our clients with opportunities to learn more about their own mental and physical health and giving them access to the resources and knowledge they need to begin making healthy choices.
Sincerely,
John Mayes
President and CEO
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Promoting Wellness Leads to Results
by Dr. Carrier
Heartland Health Centers' Dr. Laurie Carrier, MD, has been our primary care physician in the Trilogy Heartland Integrated Healthcare Clinic since 2011. She is board certified in both family medicine and psychiatry. She is also a faculty member with Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in the department of Community and Family Medicine. Her interests lie primarily in the integration of medicine and psychiatry.
"When I first started working in the Trilogy clinic in, March of 2011, the majority of the individuals I worked with were visiting the clinic for treatment of acute medical symptoms. Many individuals had not had access to a physician in years and their main concerns were all regarding immediate treatment.
Now that we have been working together for a few years and have had the opportunity to build relationships, many of my Trilogy patients feel comfortable enough to ask questions about preventative care. I try to make sure that I incorporate a discussion around some type of preventative care-smoking cessation, natural ways to lower cholesterol, preventative approaches to diabetes-into each office visit.
In January, I started a Trilogy patient walking group. I was inspired by the clients' interest in learning more about their own health and wellness. This group gives all Trilogy clients, whether they frequent the clinic or not, an open forum to ask any questions they may have about their health. It is also a fun way to encourage everyone to be proactive about their wellbeing. Each week, we have a different health challenge. For example, one week I asked everyone to try taking the stairs instead of the elevator for a week. Another week, everyone was encouraged to choose beverages without any calories, such as water or flavored water, over soda. The goal of the group was never weight loss, but the members of the first cohort lost 6-16 pounds each.
By promoting wellness and providing individuals with access to the resources they need to make healthy choices, Trilogy is making an impact in the lives of the individuals they serve."
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Trilogy Hosts Second Annual Passport to Wellness Fair
More than 130 participants came out for Trilogy's 2nd annual Passport to Wellness Fair. Hosted by Trilogy and our healthcare partners--Rush University College of Nursing, Heartland Health Centers, and Chicago House--the day was filled with opportunities for individuals to learn about their physical wellness and steps they could take to improve their health.
Throughout the day, representatives from Chicago House and Step Up Get Tested -- the Chicago HIV/Hepatitis-C Collaborative -- were on-site offering free rapid-HIV testing to all attendees. Mike Hefferly from Rush University Medical Center's Audiology Clinic was available for free hearing screenings all day. Rush University's College of Nursing offered free screening for Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and carbon monoxide levels. Hourly educational lectures focused on individual health and included "Healthy Feet" by podiatrist, Dr. Paras Parekh; "Smoking Cessation" by Carol Southard of Respiratory Health; "Living with HIV" by Andrew Espinosa of Chicago House; and "Healthy Cooking on a Budget" by Jane Cajuste of Found Kitchen and Social House.
Attendees were also given opportunities to focus on mindfulness and self-care. Kutz of Essex Barbershop generously volunteered their time and services by offering free haircuts, DJ Tyree Parker provided great music in our parking lot and gave everyone an opportunity to get some aerobic exercise, and members of the Trilogy team were on hand providing colorful manicures throughout the day.
To wrap up the event, all participants were encouraged to take part in a community-wide walk down to Lake Michigan's beautiful lakefront or wind down with an hour of relaxing yoga.
For more on the Passport to Wellness Fair, and to read about the experiences of one attendee, visit the Trilogy Blog.
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Trilogy Celebrates Two Smoke-Free Years!
July 1, 2014 marked the 2nd anniversary of Trilogy as a smoke-free campus. To celebrate, we passed out healthy snacks and educational information about smoking cessation to our clients and employees.
In 2012, Trilogy along with our partners--Heartland Health Centers and Rush University College of Nursing--collaborated with the American Cancer Society, the Respiratory Health Association and the City of Chicago's Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project to implement a comprehensive program to educate our employees and clients about the benefits of being smoke-free.
Each year, we review and improve our educational efforts and continue to emphasize smoking cessation for our employees and clients. Our goal is to positively reinforce our smoke-free environment while supporting smokers so they know that they are not alone on this difficult journey.
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