Westmoreland Medical Officer Urges Parish Residents to Track Health Numbers and Curb Chronic Disease

People living in Westmoreland should take a hands-on approach to checking their health and making better daily choices, health officials say, as work continues to slow the spread of long-term illnesses in the parish.

Speaking to councillors at the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation’s monthly sitting in Savanna-la-Mar on May 14, the parish’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Marcia Graham, said understanding your own health picture is central to stopping chronic disease before it starts and to keeping it under control once it appears.

Dr. Graham told the meeting that residents ought to know key readings such as blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight-for-height ratios, and should also stay informed about their HIV and syphilis status.

She said steady habits matter for keeping conditions such as high blood pressure and asthma in check. May is Hypertension Awareness Month, she noted, and this year’s campaign carries the theme “Controlling Hypertension Together.”

“What you do every day in terms of your diet, in terms of taking your medication correctly and remaining physically active would help to control hypertension,” Dr. Graham said.

She asked residents to stay active and to steer clear of harmful practices, especially cigarette smoking. World No Tobacco Day falls on May 31, she reminded the room, and tobacco smoke can make asthma worse.

For those with asthma, Dr. Graham said preventive medicine should be used on a regular basis. Routine use of anti-inflammatory inhalers, she explained, can cut down attacks and reduce trips to hospital.

“We are encouraging persons to do the routine maintenance of their asthma by using what we call the brown inhaler. It will decrease the frequency of the need for the rescue inhaler [and] the need to visit the accident and emergency room,” Dr. Graham said.

The Medical Officer also pointed to lupus awareness work under way during May, saying the condition does not always get the public focus it deserves.

“We want to increase awareness of this disease that can be controlled,” she said, and she called for understanding and practical support for people who live with lupus.

Dr. Graham told councillors that several medical missions are set to roll out across Westmoreland in the weeks ahead, working with overseas partners. Those outreach efforts, she said, will open doors for residents to receive screenings and other core health services.

“We have external partners who are helping us so that we can know our numbers and enjoy optimal health,” Dr. Graham said.