Riverside Healthcare’s Healthy Heroes program is designed to recognize the better-health of first responders. And in Iroquois County Saturday, police, firefighters and paramedics were welcomed to an event where they could make sure their own heath is up to par.
Riverside health officials invited first responders to Watseka’s Glenn Raymond School where resource help was made available. Health screenings, education and support for what communities benefit from the efforts of first responders was part of the program. It’s about pro-active measures to health, according to Alyssa Diaz of the Riverside marketing department.
The program will also be offered in Gilman and again in Watseka. Healthy Heroes will be offered June 9 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Gilman and again June 12 at Glenn Raymond School to make sure as many firefighters as possible are reached.
The program was initiated in memory of Zeb Pfeiffer, a Kankakee County sheriff deputy Zeb Pfeiffer, who passed away in 2015 unexpectedly from a heart attack. He was just 35.
Abby Allen, his sister, and Marilyn Pfeiffer, his mother, were present Saturday and both talked about the important work that Healthy Heroes offers.
Diaz said the program has been offered in Kankakee County to several agencies and now is offered in Iroquois County. The firefighters were offered several screenings at no cost: electrocardiogram, blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, peripheral arterial disease, framingham risk score and blood glucose.
Dr. Abhimanyu Beri, an electrophysiologist at Riverside, was also on hand to talk with some of the firefighters and read results of screenings.
“Healthy Heroes is a program we stared at Riverside to help improve the health of the most important members of our community — people like law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics — all these people who keep us healthy. We want to keep them healthy and keep them in good shape and screen them for possible heart conditions.
Fore more information about the program, call Tammy Pree, 815-471-09831 or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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