Cathy Hunsley, a staff assistant with gift planning at Duke Development, has her blood pressure checked during a health screening for Duke employees in January. Photo by Marsha A. Green.

Durham, NC - Cathy Hunsley opened a conference room door in the Allen Building and saw clusters of employees around a long conference table.

"Is this where I come for a HealthCheck?" Hunsley asked. "It sure is," replied Linda Demarest, a LIVE FOR LIFE nurse. "Come on in."

Within moments, Hunsley, a staff assistant for Duke Development, had filled out a health questionnaire and was immersed in conversation with a nurse. After measuring Hunsley's height and weight, the nurse checked her blood pressure, pricked her finger for a blood sample to test cholesterol levels and reviewed Hunsley's diet and exercise habits.

"I was expecting it was going to be more of a physical exam, but it was really refreshing that it was more of a lifestyle conversation," said Hunsley, who participated in her first-ever HealthCheck in January.

Last year, about 3,600 Duke staff and faculty participated in HealthCheck, a 20-minute, confidential health assessment. The HealthCheck includes checks of blood pressure, blood sugar and total cholesterol levels. Nurses also calculate an individual's body mass index, a measure of obesity. The assessment is capped off with a one-on-one goal-setting session with a LIVE FOR LIFE nurse, all at no charge.

During the screening, some employees may learn they are at risk for serious health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes or heart disease. In these cases, nurses encourage participants to visit their physicians and refer them to other Duke programs that help them manage chronic conditions.

But for the majority of employees, HealthCheck is simply a way to get a quick snapshot of their health and ideas for how to maintain or improve wellness.

"Our goal is to help everyone at Duke be more proactive about their health," said Demarest, the LIVE FOR LIFE nurse.

Libby Gulley, LIVE FOR LIFE nurse manager, said the goal-setting session at the end of the HealthCheck is among the most important components of the screening.

"It's the 'so what?' part," Gulley said. "As in, 'so what do I do now that I know my numbers?'"

As goals, employees often choose targets such as losing 10 pounds, running a half-marathon or eating healthier food. The LIVE FOR LIFE nurses encourage them to break goals into smaller targets and to write two or three small steps to take to start meeting their goals.

"There's a lot of self-discovery that can happen in these conversations," Demarest said. "Sometimes our conversation is just about building up courage to make changes."

As part of her HealthCheck, Hunsley found the discussion of healthy eating and food portion sizes most illuminating. She had not familiarized herself with portion sizes in cups or ounces since she seldom cooks. "But when the nurse said a serving of fish is the size of an iPhone, I can visualize and act on that," she said.

Hunsley, who joined Duke five months ago from Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, said she was excited to work at an institution that provided the health screening service. She set a goal of swimming for exercise four days a week and signed up for Steps to Health, an incentive program that offers LIVE FOR LIFE dollars to participants who stay on track with goals over the course of a year. 

"I'm reasonably healthy," Hunsley said. "But if I can use a program to reward myself for continuing that healthy lifestyle, then I want to be a part of it."