The Medical Center and WBKO-TV want to make this year a healthier one with the 14th annual Health & Wellness Expo this weekend.
The event – which will feature more than 65 vendors – will be from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Sloan Convention Center. Screenings will include blood glucose, blood pressure, body fat analysis, depression, fall risk and balance, foot, glaucoma, pulmonary function, skin cancer, spinal, video ear inspection and vision. There will be door prizes, and demonstrations will be given throughout the day. Admission is free.
“We want to make people as healthy as they can be. The first of the year is a good time to focus on it and take advantage of the screenings to make changes,” said Linda Rush, community wellness director. “It’s open for people of all ages. There’s truly something for everyone.”
From its first year, the expo received a tremendous response and has become the largest health fair in southcentral Kentucky, Rush said.
“We had 2,500 last year. It’s not just (people from) Warren County. We also get people from surrounding counties,” she said. “When we first started, it was with the same concept as now. The same mission carries on with (The Medical Center) Health and Wellness Center where people can take advantage of it year-round.”
This year’s expo will include a demonstration by The Medical Center Emergency Medical Services on “When to Call 911,” Rush said.
“(It will start) with an opportunity for participants to learn the new guidelines for CPR, what life-saving steps EMS provides when they arrive on the scene and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital and what happens in the emergency room,” she said. “There will also be booths focused on heart attack and stroke in this section.”
Betsy Ann Tracy, Warren County Cooperative Extension Service agent for family and consumer sciences, is excited about participating in the expo for the first time. She said she plans to show healthier snack options, such as the “Wholey Great Grains Mix.”
“It’s really easy. It’s something so easy that kids can make it, and adults can eat it,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be baked or cooked. You can throw it in a bag, shake it up and separate it into portion sizes.”
Tracy also wants people to pay more attention to the nutritional content of what they’re eating.
“I’ll have some different ideas of some healthy snacks and some ideas of bad snacks. The difference is that candy bars are empty calories. You’re not getting nutrition from that,” she said. “I hope that people will look at snacks differently and see what they’re really consuming.”
Elizabeth Westbrook, Kentucky Cancer Program cancer control specialist, said her group will distribute information about cancer prevention, early detection and color cancer screenings, as well as packages of dried fruit, which may help fight cancer.
“Studies are finding that fruits are high in antioxidants,” she said.
The Kentucky Cancer Program has participated in the expo since it started, Westbrook said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to reach people in our communities with information. We’re excited to participate,” she said. “The setup is great. People can come and visit the booths they are interested in and hopefully incorporate practices to improve their health.”
The schedule of presentations will be as follows:
8:30 a.m. — “BG Backyard Bootcamp” by Allison Millet
9 a.m — “Dance for Good Health” by BG Rockerz
9:30 a.m. — “Healthy Snacks” by the Warren County Extension Office
10 a.m. — “Tai Chi” by the Sifu Sam Smith
10:30 a.m. — “When to Call 911” by The Medical Center Emergency Medical Services
11 a.m. — “Jumping Jaguars” by Keith Stokes
— For more information, visit www.themedicalcenter.org.
