September 25, 2007
Emily Sloan
Assistant Director, Public Relations
(910) 715-5376

Healthy Community, Healthy Economy Initiative Off to a Good Start  

WAGRAM – FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company Inc. kicked off the Scotland County Healthy Community, Healthy Economy initiative with a screening event at Gulistan Carpet Plant on Sept. 12.

Thirty-five employees participated in the free health screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides provided by FirstCarolinaCare.

“I had several employees to tell me that this was the first time that their cholesterol had been checked or that it had been several years since they had it checked,” said Mary Mabe, R.N., health care coordinator for FirstCarolinaCare. “In addition to health screenings, we provided education regarding healthy eating, exercising and the importance of yearly physical exams.”

The Scotland County Healthy Community, Healthy Economy initiative is a partnership among FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company, Scotland County Government, City of Laurinburg, Laurinburg/Scotland County Chamber of Commerce, other governmental entities, local health care organizations and Scotland County’s business community.

The program is designed to provide Scotland County residents, businesses and community leaders with a clear, easily understandable measure to gauge the county’s health. A healthy workforce is a critical component of a healthy economy, organizers say, and a community working toward this goal contributes positively to business recruitment efforts and other economic development activities.

Healthy Community, Healthy Economy is being initiated through health screenings to measure participants’ cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, weight/Body Mass Index (BMI) and tobacco use status. Once these screenings are conducted and participants are educated in regard to their own health screening indicators, FirstCarolinaCare will average the results to develop an overall Scotland County health status grade.

If you’re interested in hosting a health screening event for your employees, church or civic group, or for more information on Healthy Community, Healthy Economy, please call (800) 574-8556.

FirstCarolinaCare Insurance Company Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstHealth of the Carolinas, is headquartered in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and serves more than 11,000 commercial members in a six-county service area. It offers a range of small- and large-group health benefit plans. FirstCarolinaCare received the 2006 Honor Roll For Coverage Award from the Health Care Leadership Council, which recognizes exemplary community programs that have distinguished themselves as leaders in providing access to health coverage for uninsured Americans. FirstCarolinaCare has also been given a financial safety rating of B+ or “good" by Weiss Ratings Inc.,(now thestreet.com), which is noted for its objective and accurate insurance company evaluations.