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Heads Up! Health Assessments Due by Oct. 31

Wearing a hard hat can prevent serious injury if something falls on your head. But when that "something" happens to be a one-ton beam colliding with your skull, you're going to need more than a brain bucket to avoid catastrophic injury. Obviously, you're better off preventing the beam from falling in the first place.

Prevention is still the best protection you can get, whether it's buckling your seat belt, wearing a bike helmet, or getting a health screening.

Why should you get a health screening? One of the biggest threats to a carpenter's quality of life is developing a chronic health condition like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, or cancer. Sure, medical benefits can help you treat those conditions, but there is no doubt your quality of life will be better if you can prevent them from developing.

Completing the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment can help you do just that. Eligible carpenters and dependents have just one more week to complete this online health survey. It's well worth taking 15 minutes to complete it.

The health assessment begins by asking questions about your medical history, lifestyle, and general health. The questions are meant to identify factors that put you at the greatest risk for potentially serious illnesses.

When you're finished, you'll get immediate feedback on areas needing improvement and some recommendations from Mayo Clinic on which areas you should tackle first. In fact, you can download, save and print a full summary and use it as an action plan for improving your health. You'll also be directed to information, tools, and programs that address your particular needs.

Are you participating in the Carpenters Rewards incentive program? The Mayo Clinic Health Assessment is worth 75 points, and when you achieve 200 points you'll receive a $200 gift card that can be used in 350 ways. You cannot qualify for the gift card without completing the health assessment.

Go to www.CarpentersHealth.org (the EmbodyHealth website) to take the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment. Simply log on with your username and password, then click "My Health" to find the health assessment. There is no out-of-pocket cost to eligible carpenters and dependents.

To receive the most accurate feedback, you should have the following information before you begin:

  1. height
  2. weight
  3. total cholesterol level
  4. HDL cholesterol level
  5. LDL cholesterol level
  6. blood pressure
  7. fasting triglyceride level
  8. blood sugar level

Your personal information and responses are completely confidential. They are never seen by anyone else. However, they are combined with other responses into a group report controlled by Mayo Clinic.

Depending on your responses, you might be invited to participate in Mayo Clinic Health Coaching. This phone-based program puts you in touch with a health specialist to help you make improvements in areas that put you at risk for chronic illnesses. There is no out-of-pocket cost for Mayo Clinic Health Coaching. Like the health assessment, Mayo Clinic Health Coaching can earn points for the Carpenters Rewards incentive program.