preventive health

If you ask a classroom full of local students from 5th through 12th grade if they vape or know someone who vapes, nearly all of the kids will raise their hands.

That’s what Merica Surdez, advanced practice registered nurse at Community HealthCare System, found when she decided to help area schools teach students about the dangers of e-cigarettes.

Vaping uses an e-cigarette, a battery-powered device that comes in many shapes and sizes, to heat up a liquid to create an...

Vaping has become a burning issue in communities and schools around the country. Community HealthCare System has been asked to serve as a resource to schools and parents in our communities and to help students, teachers, and families understand the risks and dangers of vaping. 

On November 14, Merica Surdez, APRN presented information on vaping to grades 5 through 12 at the Onaga school. Merica was able to present to four different age groups; 5th and 6th, 7th and 8th, 9th...

The holidays are here, and so is the yearly struggle to eat well and stay active. If you are hoping to avoid the need to make health or weight-related New Year’s resolutions, now is the time to focus on good habits.

The Christmas feast will be ready soon – not to mention the delicious cookies, candies, and other treats on offer this time of year – and early darkness and cold weather are barriers to getting enough exercise. Following a few tips will help keep you on...

If you’ve been meaning to join a Fitness Center, don’t wait until January. We’ll give you our January special in December! Buy three months and get one month free, or buy 12 months and get two free. If you sign up for payments through electronic funds transfer, you don’t pay until the second month. For those who don't want to commit to a full membership, punch cards are available. Each card is good for 10 visits. During December, if you purchase two...

The National Cancer Institute recognizes lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death. In the United States, lung cancer follows only skin cancer as the most common type of cancer.

Many people don’t realize that lung cancer screening is available.

Like any screening, lung cancer screening aims to find the disease early, when treatment may be more effective. Dr. Greg Welle, director of radiology at Community HealthCare System and Manhattan Radiology, said low-dose...

By Karen Elliott: Cold and flu season is here. Are you looking for ways to keep your family healthy?

Handwashing is a simple way to prevent the spread of germs and keep everyone healthy and able to go to school, work, and other activities. According to the Centers for Disease Control, handwashing can prevent one in three cases of diarrhea and one in five respiratory infections such as cold or flu.

Soap and water are the best tools to use. If soap and water aren’t available,...

Karen Elliott was not supposed to get breast cancer. She was not genetically predisposed and had only a 3 percent chance. But a routine mammogram in June 2007 found evidence of breast cancer.

Luckily, her cancer had not advanced past her lymph nodes. After a partial mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, Karen looks back years later and is thankful that she took time for cancer screening.

“If I hadn’t had a mammogram, I don’t know how bad it would have been...