Fairfield Memorial Hospital and Frontier Community College had a successful Spring Into Health Fair this past Saturday morning. Despite the rainy morning, many were out early and lined up to take advantage of the reduced rate lab tests and free breakfast that was being offered.
Upwards of 175 individuals of all ages attended the event which was held at the Frontier Community College Workforce Development Building. The Spring Into Health Fair included talks and demonstrations from several professionals and experts. A Healthy Cooking Demonstration by Whitney Buckles, RDLD, FMH’s Registered Dietitian and April Greifzu, FMH’s Director of Nutrition Services, finished with an opportunity for guests to test the healthy recipe. An educational presentation on Pain Management was given by team members, Erin Fields of the Pain Center of Fairfield Memorial Hospital and Audrey Lipking, RN from Medtronics.
The room was silenced upon an inspirational message given by Gerry Kinney of Fairfield who spoke about “Healthcare when you need it most.” Kinney was a lineman for Wayne White County Electric Co-op who shared his story of survival when he came in contact with a 7,200 volt transmission line. His amazing story of recovery was shared, along with stories of the healthcare community who helped him along the way.
The morning ended with a BINGO session and several gift cards to the FCC Perks Coffee House and many beautiful flower arrangements were given away. Door prize winners from the event were: Dawn Greenwalt – Fresh Flower Arrangement, Sara Hallas – Meal Certificate to FMH Café, John Wilkerson – FREE General Health Profile, Linda Hutchcraft- FREE Screening Mammogram and Reading, Amber and David Parker – #FutureOfFMH contest winners – Gift Certificates to FCC Perks Coffee House and FMH Café.
Pictured is a Spring Into Health Fair Attendee, Jill Andrews, who took advantage of the Reduced Cost Lab Tests that were offered at the Spring Into Health Fair hosted by FMH and FCC.
Throughout the morning, individuals enjoyed various activities and screenings including: Balance Beam Fun, Chair Rise Screening, Blood Pressure Screenings, Bone Density Screenings, Fitness Assessments, Diabetes Risk Assessments, and Blood Sugar Checks. Education was provided on: Hand-Washing, Stroke Prevention, Pain Management, File of Life – Medication Reconciliation, Oxygen Safety in the Home, Wayne County Ambulance Service, Air Evac, “MyChart”- Patient Portal, Tobacco Cessation, and Nutrition Education. The children were entertained by the Kids Fitness Corner, Health Professional Dress-up Photo Station (contest), and the Stuffed Animal Operation, Repair & Check up.
Katherine Bunting-Williams, Ph.D., FMH CEO, said, “The event was a huge success, and Fairfield Memorial Hospital hopes those who attended were educated and inspired to enhance their health by the many wellness and health education booths, along with the presentations. I also want to thank our partners including the staff and students from FCC, South East Illinois AHEC, Air-Evac, Wayne County Ambulance Services, all the Hospital employees for being part of this community event, as their support and partnership shows our united bond to enhance and improve the health of our community.”
“On behalf of Frontier Community College, I would like to thank everyone at Fairfield Memorial Hospital/Horizon Healthcare for partnering with us to provide a successful health fair to our community. The mission at Frontier is to deliver exceptional education and services to improve the lives of our students and to strengthen our community. This includes health and medical education. It is our pleasure to host an event with our local hospital that provides exceptional services to our community every day. I would also like to specially thank Gerry Kinney for sharing his journey since his accident with us to remind us how much healthcare professionals truly care. Last, I would like to thank everyone from the community that attended and supported the health fair,” stated, Luke Harl, FCC Adjunct Professor.
