Prevention On Purpose: Fresh Approach Of Sacred Circle On Maintaining Health In Utah

Flu vaccines available in the lobby. That is the way my last September trip to Utah health center began. There is no waiting months to get poked; simply roll up your sleeve next to a neighbor and share grocery ideas while you’re at it. Like lemonade booths, health fairs abound in blood pressure checks, diabetes screens, and an odd contest for “Best Packed Lunch” (I lost to a third grader, fair and square).

Staff members shouldn’t merely hand out leaflets and advise people “eat better.” They ask about your breakfast, your child’s finicky eating, your uncle’s cholesterol, or your grandma’s fry bread on visits. They recognize that prevention is about knowing lives, experiences, and potato salad recipes, not about merely checking boxes.

Nurses will be phoning to see whether you need help refilling a prescription or texting reminder of an appointment. One patient informed me she received a reminder for her mammography even before her birthday card came. Sacred Circle views reminders as soft nudges from a considerate friend rather than icy alarms from a robot.

Classes abound in smoking cessation, diabetes education, and dietary advice transcending “eat your vegetables.” Teachers start laughing; someone always provides homemade bread; none leaves hungry for knowledge or refreshments.

Screenings delve far—eyesight, hearing, even melancholy and anxiety. Doctors still have time for polite conversation. Sometimes an inquiry about stress, blood sugar, or what’s weighing heavily on your mind follows directly from “How’s fishing at the reservoir.”

There is a lot of encouragement here. “You can do this,” Nurse Carla said, her favorite sentence. She gives grown-ups stickers just as fast as she does children. Every visit, every shot, every discussion feels like a stone in the river trying to stop illness before it gathers strength.

The kind of preventative action Sacred Circle does seems like community gardening. Years from now, you look back and see something blossoming: less crises, more fun, a little peace of mind every season. Many hands, many modest deeds. Prevention is the work of open doors and steady hands; it is accomplished with heart and much of good humor.