Concerned about prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that people with  prediabetes can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes by up to 58 percent through changes to their lifestyle that include modest weight loss and regular exercise. The public is invited to learn how to prevent diabetes at a Prediabetes Class hosted by Orange City Area Health System’s Diabetes Nurse Educator on Monday December 5 from 5-7pm at the health system’s main campus lower level classrooms. The cost of $25 includes dinner. Pre-register by calling 737-5289 or online at ocHealthSystem.org/educational-programs.

The annual lighting ceremony for the Orange City Hospice “Tree of Remembrance” will be Wednesday, November 30, at 7pm in the front lobby of Orange City Area Health System’s main campus at 1000 Lincoln Circle SE in Orange City. This service celebrates the lives of hospice patients and their families in a special way. The tree is decorated with custom-made ornaments memorializing those served by Orange City Home Health & Hospice who passed away between December 1, 2010, and November 29, 2011, as well as others in the community who ordered ornaments to honor and remember their loved ones. The evening will start with a reading and special music, and reading of the names of those remembered with ornaments, and conclude with a reception of cider and treats.

Orange City Area Health System hosted a Move, Munch, Media camp for area 4th-6th graders on Friday, November 11. Twenty-three kids participated in this fun and interactive day camp designed to help youth explore the links between health, fitness, and media and empower young people to think critically about media and make thoughtful decisions about nutrition and physical activity. The camp’s activities included Exploring Media, Nutrition Know-How, Motion Commotion, a Zumba dance session, and making a healthy snack. Dordt College media students then helped teams of kids produce and videotape public service announcements (PSAs) based on relevant topics. The PSAs can be viewed at youtube.com/OCAHS1. The camp was funded in part by the American Heart Association, and the health system plans to host future day camps in February and April.