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Nancy Taggart
Health fair offers free info, low-cost tests
The Richmond Altrusa Club and Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center teamed up Thursday to put a dent in the cost of health care.
More than 160 took advantage of the free tests, information and low cost blood analysis at First Christian Church.
“The fair started at 6 a.m., but people were waiting when I got here at 5:30,” said Jill Williams of the hospital, who conducted body fat and body mass index analyses.
A steady stream of participants came until 1 p.m. when the fair concluded. There was almost no waiting during the seven-hour event.
Most participants started at the blood pressure check station and made their way around the churches fellowship hall.
Height and weight were measured, as was the sugar, oxygen and carbon dioxide of participants’ blood. Men could have blood drawn for prostate cancer screening. All of those tests were free.
Other free tests gauged participants’ lung capacity, eyesight and sun-damaged skin.
For $12, blood could be drawn for blood fat analysis, which normally costs about $200, said Jerian Shaw, Pattie A. Clay’s patient and community relations director. At least 124 took advantage of the bargain.
“The health fair is a way for the medical center to give back to community,” she said. “It’s also helps make people aware of the importance of regular checkups. By making these tests convenient and inexpensive, more people are more likely to have them.”
Participants with abnormal test results were advised to seek follow-up examinations.
In past years, the fair has alerted participants to potential dangerous medical conditions, said Laura Schadler of the Altrusa Club.
Several agencies and professional services had exhibits set up for the fair.
Three chiropractic offices offered information or screening. One even offered free chair massages. One dental office had an exhibit, as did Body Recall and AARP.
The Madison County Health Department and the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service offered nutritional advice, featuring some unappetizing examples of what sugar and fat do to the body.
The Daniel Boone Chapter of the American Red Cross asked participants to register for CPR classes.
This was the 26th annual health fair that Richmond Altrusa has co-sponsored, said club member Ann Kindred, who has been involved in each fair. The first was co-sponsored by the health department, but Pattie A. Clay has been co-sponsor for the past 25.
Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.
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