A Message from the CEO - Sept 2024

I love September.  I’m sitting here writing this with my window open, listening to the wind chimes.  Autumn is a wonderful time of year.  A bit melancholy, though … it’s the end of another fantastic summer.  And I love summers.  I love all seasons - except for winter.  I’ve got a couple of trips planned for February next year.  One is a trip with guys I graduated high school with - we’re all turning 60, and so we’re going to a beach somewhere and act like 18-year-olds.  The other trip is with a bike group to Florida … because Florida in February is preferrable to Iowa in February.  (Spending a good deal of the most dreadful month in warm climates is the closest thing to heaven possible.)

Dealing with things that bother me is on my mind right now.  Ignoring and traveling thousands of miles away so I won’t have to deal with reality is definitely one of way of dealing … but sometimes, just facing the music and confronting the issue is the best way to go.*  At our monthly wellness meeting recently - we talked about diabetes.  Brooke, our wellness coordinator, sent me some stats which said 37 million Americans have diabetes and nearly 1 in 2 have diabetes or are prediabetic**.  A little over ten years ago, I was in that boat.  Extra weight, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, etc., for a decade I just ignored the symptoms.  But that didn’t solve the problem.   

For me - I changed my lifestyle and reversed my health decline.  From both a healthcare standpoint and an employer … how do help to reverse this trend for others?  The Wellness Committee here at ISH talked about an awareness campaign and testimonials from individuals who’ve faced this dilemma and now are either living with the consequences of diabetes or those who avoided this path through lifestyle modifications. 

Diabetes is a costly and, a lot of times, preventable disease.  Lifestyle changes can often prevent diabetes.  Awareness and change are necessary.  If you feel that you may be either prediabetic or are in a health decline, we have a lot of knowledge and resources to help you.  Ignoring the signs is never a solution. 

*Not with February, though - smiling through is blizzard is not something that I have the ability to do.  30 days of 20 below wind chill … yeah, nothing makes that tolerable.

**What is prediabetes? With prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Prediabetes is a serious health condition that increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.