While cold air dominated outside, it did not stop several hundred people from showing up to the 13th annual Health and Wellness Expo at the Sloan Convention Center.
From 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, a steady flow of adults and children walked up and down the partitioned isles visiting the various booths – some carrying canvas Graves-Gilbert Clinic bags, others carrying The Medical Center plastic bags filled with informational pamphlets and goodies the booths provided.
“It is going amazingly well,” said Doris Thomas, vice president of marketing and development for Commonwealth Health Corp., the parent company of The Medical Center.
Sponsored by The Medical Center and WBKO-TV, the expo is beneficial to the community, Thomas said, giving people the opportunity to learn things that can improve their health and make them aware.
“I think people really do appreciate the free health screenings and the information here,” she said.
The expo featured about 16 free screenings for various conditions and illnesses, including balance, body fat, depression, eye pressure, pulmonary function, and strength and flexibility.
Bowling Green resident Felicia Bland came specifically for the blood glucose screenings, which were being done at the Heart Institute booth. Concerned about the diabetes trait on both sides of the family, she wanted her daughter, Kerprecia Ballard, 16, who suffers from a condition under the umbrella of traumatic brain injury, to have her blood glucose screened.
Bland said Kerprecia’s doctors were antsy about performing the procedure to check her blood glucose level – pricking her finger.
“It was simple here,” she said.
While Bland’s main purpose was the screenings, she became fascinated with a standing wheelchair provided by The Standing Company. She said in school Kerprecia is confined to a wheelchair and at home she crawls, since she cannot walk with her condition. The chair is something her daughter needs, and something insurance will not take care of, Bland said.
“This is our first time at the expo,” she said. “We came for one reason, but we’ve seen so much other stuff ... I didn’t expect this.”
In addition to the screenings, several demonstrations were done, including a Hot Yoga demonstration and a jump rope demo from Natcher Elementary School’s Jumping Jaguars. Also, 74 vendors – such as Hartland Massage, Curves, The Medical Center, Hospice of Southern Kentucky, Home Instead Senior Care and Community Action of Southern Kentucky – touted their services as people walked by or stopped at their tables.
Katie Jennings was no different, as she promoted the Nutrition Center’s stress reliever pill she had on display for people to take.
“That’s a stress reliever,” she said as people stopped and looked at the liquid pill in its packaging. “If you find yourself in a stressful situation, put that little liquid under your tongue, and it calms you down. It’s all natural, made out of five flower essences.”
Neither was Chris Mitchell, with CrossFit Old School on College Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. He told of the gym’s purpose to anyone who stopped to listen.
“It’s a community-based program. We’re big on teaching technique and form,” he said. “Functional movement at high intensity, that’s what we’re about.”
With health care reform a topic of interest, Dr. Jeremy McWhorter, a local chiropractor, said he thinks having a wellness expo is fantastic. He said that he wasn’t sure what to expect with the weather, but that the attendance shows people really are interested in their health.
“I got a lot of information, and it was very educational,” said Bowling Green resident April Anderson. “This is just a wealth of information for the community.”
