Community Hospital-Fairfax invites public to health fair - Part One
Community Hospital-Fairfax invites public to health fair
By: Jennifer J. Danley- Marketing/Communications Coordinator, Community Hospital-Fairfax
Author’s Note: This is the first article of a three part series that describes the
events offered at the Community Hospital-Fairfax Health Fair
Everyone age zero to one hundred who are interested in learning about health issues
and celebrating National Hospital Week are invited to the Community Hospital-Fairfax
Health Fair.
The event, which will host several informational booths and activities, takes place
throughout the hospital on May 15, 2008, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The theme “On the road to a healthier you” will take visitors on a ride to a more
healthful lifestyle and making smart choices in their every-day lives.
In the hospital’s cafeteria, Nutritional Services Director JoAn Whittington and
Kay Wing, a certified diabetic educator and registered dietician, will have information
on Type 2 Diabetes in children and overweight children. Their program will take
children through “red light and green light” food choices and provide examples of
healthy activities. The Dietary Department will provide healthy snacks and drinks
and will demonstrate proper portions for adults and children using the “Zimbabwe
Hand Jive.”
Other important information covered at this station includes warning signs for children
who may become overweight, physical activity and risk factors of diabetes in children.
Kay Wing explains that the road down a healthy life starts earlier than most people
think.
“The prevention of heart disease begins in childhood,” she says.
That prevention is one of the many reasons why the hospital’s dietary staff will
address what children and parents need to know about eating healthy.
Visitors will take home brochures and handouts, including a children’s food pyramid
poster.
There will also be more information for adults on diabetes in the hospital’s conference
room. Karen Wedlock, RN, a certified diabetes educator, will perform blood sugar
tests and provide information for prevention of heart decease.
“I always tell people that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Wedlock
says.
There will be other stations in the hospital’s solarium and conference room that
will focus on healthy living, heart health, blood sugar and blood pressure checks
and adults can enter to receive a free lab profile from the Community Hospital-Fairfax
Laboratory services.
The hospital’s Health Fair is a great opportunity for adults to learn more about
their health and for parents to bring their children to a worthwhile activity.