Kids can set the pace for longterm health

Long-term health is not something that many young people routinely consider. After all, it’s easy to feel invincible during one’s childhood and adolescence. But the steps that young people take early on can affect their health as they get older.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, establishing healthy behaviors during childhood and adolescence is more beneficial to longterm health than trying to change poor behaviors in adulthood. The following are some ways young people can set the course for healthy outcomes throughout life.

Prioritize healthy foods

According to the childhood recreation group

Mountain Kids, habits and actions performed subconsciously are hard to break because repeat habits trigger dopamine in the brain, causing pleasurable feelings that reinforce the behavior. So grabbing a slice of cake after school for a snack becomes rote. Instead, stocking the refrigerator and pantry with see HEALTH page 8

Being well-versed in the community, Damm notes that working in the area means that she can work closely alongside her team as well as with the patients who come through the hospital.

“My highlight is definitely my positive work environment and my positive team,” said Damm. “Then, of course, there are the patients. Right now I am covering the pe- diatrics department and getting to play with the kids every day is a huge highlight. I see pediatrics normally, but now that I am covering the pediatric department, I have way more quantity of pediatric patients.”

It isn’t all good teamwork and play with Damm however. She is committed to the well-being of her patients and wants to help them through their treatments, whether it be medical-related or mental health-related.

“(It is also about) help- ing people get through certain things, whether it be health issues that they overcome such as their diabetes, high blood pressure, or their weight loss goals, or even overcoming their mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and grieving.

Just getting people to get through those things and celebrating the wins of overcoming those health disparities and low times in life. That is probably my highlight because you get the gratification that you have helped somebody.”

The team that Damm works alongside helps with this process. She said that it is a team effort that gets the patients the quality healthcare that they need.

“My team, they go in and room the patients and I love it when they come out and they say, ‘You fixed them,’” said Damm. “I love it when we can celebrate those wins when we can finally help someone through something. Normally they would be coming back every week or two for a re-check, and finally we have come to the end of the treatment because we have successfully treated something or successfully got them through something. It is definitely a whole team approach so we all celebrate and we congratulate each other.”

For Damm, working in her home and for her community brings her a sense of pride knowing that she is a trusted provider of healthcare to Pigeon and the Upper Thumb area.