First Heritage health fair draws good crowd

Liese Harris, RN, discusses Body Mass Index (BMI) with Linda Vannatta. (T-G Photo by Sadie Fowler) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Heritage Medical Center hosted its first health fair last week, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October.

The fair was the monthly program for the hospital's Healthy Women group, and nearly 150 people showed up to take advantage of the free screenings and other important health-related information provided by the hospital.

"We had a wonderful turnout for the health fair," said Pam Fisher, public relations and marketing director for HMC. "We do plan to have more for future dates, including a Community Health Fair in January with the deeply discounted lab work."

Fisher said details on the Community Health Fair will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

On Oct. 16, women gathered on the second floor of HMC to take advantage of bone density, respiratory function, oxygen levels, blood sugar, BMI analysis (a formula, which describes weight for height, used to estimate body fat content and to predict the risk for certain health conditions), and blood pressure screenings.

Also in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, HMC is offering discounted mammograms through the end of the month. The cost is $50 or the hospital will bill the recipient's insurance company at the regular rate.

"HMC has the digital mammography technology, which gives more details and is a quicker exam," said Fisher, explaining they've had this equipment since the end of July. "One of the best qualities of digital is that no film is involved in the procedure, making the exam faster because the images are created instantly to a screen."

Fisher said the process produces a faster diagnosis. Also, digital images are stored on the picture archiving and communication system (PACs) where they can be stored indefinitely for future reference.

On Nov. 20, at 6 p.m., HMC will host "A Lite Christmas," with a registered dietitian presenting recipes and samples, appropriate for the upcoming holiday season, that are lower in fat, sugar and calories.

"The evening promises to be fun and informative, and each guest will receive a free cookbook," Fisher said.

Seating is limited and reservations are required. To reserve a seat, call 685-8390.