The INTEGRIS Men’s Health University (Men-U) is a nationally recognized leading best practice in the area of men’s health programs. Men-U staff also serve on the American Public Health Association’s Men’s Health Caucus, which addresses a wide range of men’s health topics, needs, and emerging trends and issues.
Men-U was created in 2004 and offers a series of events that take place throughout the year designed to educate men and their families on the importance of men taking charge of their own health. National statistics reveal:
INTEGRIS Men’s Health University hosts several men’s events throughout the year including the African American Men’s Health Summit in June, quarterly men's health presentations and our annual Movember events, raising awareness of men's health issues.
A large percentage of men have only limited contact with physicians and the health care system as a whole. Men not only fail to get routine check-ups or preventive care, but often ignore symptoms or delay seeking medical attention when sick or in pain. These poor health habits take their toll – beginning at early ages and rising significantly as males reach retirement age.
Because INTEGRIS Health is determined to raise awareness of this “silent crisis” and turn the tide, they’ve implemented an innovative men’s health initiative, Men’s Health University (a.k.a. Men-U). It’s designed to educate men and their families on the importance of men taking charge of their own health. Established in 2004, Men-U consists of free screenings and information, physician seminars, an annual wellness fair, (the 2006 event drew more than 700 people), and this website devoted solely to men’s health.
By bringing men back into the health care system, INTEGRIS Health is helping them overcome one of their biggest health risks – that of just being a man. And knowledge is power. Even if males are aware of just two numbers, blood pressure and cholesterol, and take active steps to lower them if either reaches an unhealthy range, it can make a huge difference in their longevity.
We’ve always heard that men are the stronger sex, but when it comes to health issues, clearly that’s not the case. Men’s health is in the midst of a crisis – not just in Oklahoma, but across the U.S. The statistics are alarming:
We’ve reached the point where men’s health problems and early mortality have been accepted as fact or a way of life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There is much that men could do to lengthen their lives.
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