Friday, July 11, 2014


Adios, for Now

For nearly three years, we have been posting blogs under the title, “Your Health Matters” and sharing them on our website, through an electronic newsletter and in other ways when opportunities were present. We have covered a wide range of topics, from texting and driving to diabetes, organ donation to good nutrition. We’ve highlighted healthy employees at Meritus Health and promoted new programs and services in cancer care, domestic violence prevention and stroke prevention.

Our vision for the Your Health Matters blog was stated in our very first posting: We decided to start a blog as a way to get more information to our community about staying healthy. While our methods may occasionally change, our mission is still the same – population and community health improvement.

With the changing health care environment, we are always looking at our time and our processes to see where we can be more efficient and perhaps where we may need to freshen things up a bit to keep our community engaged. One place we have recently invested time and resources has been our redesigned website, www.meritushealth.com. There you can find all of the information you need on the programs and services of Meritus Health and Meritus Medical Center, as well as updates on new physicians and providers in our community.

Additionally, our website now offers or will soon offer:

·         Connection to a collection of our weekly Health Matters radio show covering a range of important topics and issues.

·         A Health Library full of current news articles, tools including risk assessments and quizzes to take, healthy recipes and more.

·         A direct link to “My Meritus Patient Portal” where you can access your personal health information securely online from any computer, smartphone or tablet.

We are encouraging each of you to visit our website to take a look at this new content and, while you are there, to subscribe for our bimonthly electronic newsletter under the “Your Health Matters” button on the main page. This is how we will be communicating with you in the coming months, as this is our final blog. Our past blogs will remain archived on our website for visitors to reference. Meantime, please stay in communication with us through www.meritushealth.com because your health matters to us!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Make a Splash with Your Routine!



Posted on April 16, 2014 from www.healthymorselsfromheal.wordpress.com/
HEAL of Washington County wants to inspire people to “rethink” many of their popular drink choices as a way to improve their health. People often don’t realize how many of their daily calories and large amounts of added sugar are coming from these beverages. Drinking beverages like soda, sports drinks and energy drinks which are loaded with sugar can be harmful to your health and may lead to obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Water is the best choice and has numerous health benefits including keeping you hydrated, boosting energy production, and flushing body waste.
Are you up for the challenge?
We’re challenging you to Rethink Your Drink! Simply switch from drinking sugar-sweetened beverages to water and track the amount of water you drink for 6 weeks. Prizes and information will be provided throughout the challenge to keep you motivated. The challenge officially starts on May 19th, but register now and we will keep you up to date on all the latest challenge news!
If you’re worried about making the switch to water, try infusing your water with a few healthy ingredients to help you enjoy drinking it more! It’s simple to do and will leave you feeling refreshed and well hydrated as the hotter months approach. Here are a few of our favorite recipes to get you started.
Aside from tasting delicious, these drinks look beautiful too. And keeping 2-3 flavors in your fridge offers enough variety to ensure that your taste buds never get bored. To keep your varieties budget-friendly, simply choose fruits that are in season and snip some herbs from your garden.
If you’re looking to take that next step toward better health, sign up for the challenge today! Encourage your family, co-workers and friends to join you. Rethink Your Drink!
Motivate. Hydrate. Feel Great.