Three Easy Ways to Lower Health Care Costs

No matter what your financial situation is, these simple actions can lower your health care costs:

Wash your hands: Good hand hygiene reduces the spread of infections and germs and can keep you and other from getting sick.

Don't use the emergency room as a primary care provider: Emergency room visits cost more than a visit to your family doctor. If your doctor is unavailable, go to a Memorial Urgent Care center.

Get a flu shot: The Centers for Disease Control says that when the 'match' between vaccine and circulating strains is close, the vaccine prevents influenza in about 70 to 90 percent of healthy persons younger than age 65 years.

For more information about hand washing, Memorial Urgent Care and flu shots, call 719-444-CARE (2273).

Quitters Always Win

Smokers often say that they know why they should quit smoking but don’t know how to quit. There is no one right way to quit smoking, but there are some key elements to quitting successfully. These include:

• making the decision to quit
• setting a quit date and choosing a quit plan
• dealing with withdrawal
• staying with your decision to quit (maintenance)

The decision to quit smoking is one that only you can make. Others may want you to quit, but the real commitment must come from you.

Tobacco Free Health Fair

To learn more and take your first steps toward becoming tobacco-free, you are invited to attend Memorial’s Tobacco Free Health Fair on November 20, 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. at Memorial Hospital Central, 1400 Boulder Street.

You can also call 719-444-CARE (2273) to register for smoking cessation classes offered throughout the year.