VNA To Sponsor Cholesterol Screenings

The Visiting Nurse Association of Newtown will sponsor a cholesterol screening Thursday, March 2, at Newtown Senior Center, on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook. Screenings will be available from 9 am to noon.

The screening is free to Newtown residents, but participants must register to have their cholesterol levels checked by one of the two nurses who will be on hand to administer the screenings.

“This is part of the ongoing effort by the VNA to promote health in Newtown residents,” said cholesterol screening chairperson Luella Leitner.

VNA Vice President Mae Schmidle emphasized the importance of regular cholesterol screenings.

“There is a real need for this,” she said.

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in the bloodstream. A certain amount is necessary to maintain good health, but a high cholesterol level can lead to coronary heart disease and heart attacks. Those people with a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke are at a high risk and should have their cholesterol levels monitored by a physician, according to the American Heart Association.

The AHA supports properly conducted public screenings as a first measure to raise awareness of high blood cholesterol as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. If HDL cholesterol measurements are not available at the screening, measuring total cholesterol levels still gives valuable information that can be used to manage cholesterol.

Call the Newtown Senior Center at 270-4310 to make an appointment.