Lexington, KY - This is a partnership not only with the Markey Cancer Center, the University, and the Kentucky Commission on Women, but a partnership with the women of Kentucky,” said Kentucky First Lady Jane Beshear when she spoke at the opening of the first electronic Women’s Wellness Guide in Lexington.
The Women’s Wellness Guide offers health information through an interactive electronic touchscreen that is housed in a kiosk the size of a bank ATM. These kiosks are made by St. Andrew Development Inc., a Pennsylvania health-education firm. The information in the guides can be changed or updated by remote access.
The new Women’s Wellness Guide is located in the lobby of the Whitney Hendrickson Building, part of the Markey Cancer Center at UK. It was funded by a donation from Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson.
Beshear described the Women’s Wellness Guide as “a new innovative resource that can provide an opportunity to help women take better care of themselves.”
Written in both English and Spanish, the Women’s Wellness Guide has information on such key health issues for women as diabetes, heart disease, fitness, obesity, depression, domestic violence and various types of cancer.
The guide’s health information is easily understood, whether the user learns best through visual, audio or kinesthetic style. If the user wants to get more information or make an appointment, she can use the attached phone to be connected automatically to someone who can help her.
Noting that women can use the wellness guide to find information and local resources easily and anonymously, Beshear said, “This is huge for (women coping with) depression and domestic violence.”
Installation of the Women’s Wellness Guide resulted from two summits that the Kentucky Commission on Women (KCW) held in an effort to figure out how to improve the health of women in Kentucky. On virtually every national health survey, Kentucky ranks in the bottom third of all states. KCW members considered different programs and strategies that might persuade women to take charge of their own health. When they learned about the Women’s Wellness Guide that the Pennsylvania Commission on Women had started sponsoring, they decided it was their best option, too.
Beshear noted that “Kentuckians are strong and they’re proud. Sometimes this same strength and pride can prevent people from asking for help. That’s especially true for women.”
“Women are the mainstay of the family,” she said. “They make sure their parents, their kids, their spouses get what they need, and so often they put their needs in the back seat.”
In addition to the habit and cultural tradition of taking care of other family members before they take care of themselves, women face other challenges. If they’re working outside of the home, they are often tired and short on time.
Eleanor Jordan, director of the Kentucky Commission on Women, noted that many Kentucky women also have “literacy challenges, limited English proficiency, poverty, fear and lack of digital access to information.”
But “we know women will listen to other women,” Jordan said. Hence the Women’s Wellness Guide features videotaped women of various backgrounds and ages, telling stories about their health problems and concerns. Kiosk users see the women on screen as trustworthy “girlfriends,” Jordan added.
Also speaking at the unveiling event was Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto, wife of UK President Dr. Eli Capilouto. “Women are constantly juggling jobs and families. This limits their access to doctors and medical information,” Capilouto said.
She explained that the Women’s Wellness Guide will “serve as an advocate for every woman who steps up to this kiosk. It will suggest questions to ask a health provider and encourage her to seek health care.”
Frank McKee, CEO of St. Andrews Development, Inc., said that with the kiosks placed in six states so far, “We’ve reached hundreds of thousands of women. Our goal is to level the playing field with information.”
The first Women’s Wellness Guide in Kentucky is at the Park DuValle Medical Center in Louisville. Other units will be placed elsewhere in the state as funding becomes available.
The Women’s Wellness Guide is the latest project in Beshear’s advocacy for women’s health issues. She said she sees great potential for these conveniently located, easily accessed kiosks.
Jordan is equally hopeful. She said that the Women’s Wellness Guide “could prove to be one of the most innovative strategies to move from sickness to wellness mode.”