A young participant enjoys an up close and personal look at a fire engine at last year’s Kids Fun and Safety Zone at the LMH Health Community Health Fair. Photo by Richard Gwin
LMH Health offers community check-up
By Allison Koonce, LMH Health
LMH Health demonstrates a commitment to keep your lifelong health a priority through the annual Community Health Fair. This year’s event is next Saturday, Sept. 22, at the hospital campus at 330 Arkansas.
The Kids Fun and Safety Zone returns this year from 8 to 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot at the southwest corner of Third and Arkansas streets. In the zone, participants can tour law enforcement, fire and rescue vehicles and interact with firefighters, paramedics and police officers. Additional activities and crafts will be available in the Kids Zone.
Families also can ask questions about car seats. Children can be fitted with a free bicycle helmet (while supplies last), or bring a helmet and safety experts can check for fit and instruct children on the safety advantages of wearing a helmet.
John Drees, RN, a community outreach specialists at LMH Health, encourages everyone to wear a helmet. “Investing in a helmet is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect the human brain from impact,” he said. “A helmet should be worn on every ride so that it’s there when needed.”
Inside on the lower level, the LMH Health Lab will provide a comprehensive bloodwork profile from 7 to 10 a.m. for a fee. The blood work profile includes glucose, potassium, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, calcium, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and cholesterol ratios. A PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is optional, and is available for males only. The cost is $40 ($50 if PSA testing included).
According to the Centers for Disease Control, regular health exams and tests can help find problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better.
Additional screenings will be available on the main and lower levels of LMH Health from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. and include blood pressure checks, body mass index, hearing screenings, vision screenings, finger stick fasting blood sugar, skin cancer, bone density, balance and stroke risk assessment. These are free screenings and no advance registration is required.
Flu shots will be available on the first level from the Visiting Nurses Association. There is a $30 fee or Medicare can be billed if you bring your Medicare card. Other third-party insurers are not accepted for payment.
In addition to health screenings, many LMH Health providers and community partners will exhibit at the health fair. These exhibits provide an opportunity to gain information and to interact and ask questions on a variety of health topics. More than 20 area health agencies’ exhibits will be open from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. on the main and lower levels of the hospital.
Beth Porter-Sakumura, RN, a community outreach specialist at LMH Health, encourages everyone to attend the health fair, “Attending the LMH Health Fair gives you a one-stop opportunity for free health screenings, low-cost bloodwork and flu shots, and education on health topics that affect us all.”
LMH Health will provide light refreshments to health fair participants in the atrium, which is on the lower level of the hospital. There also will be chances to win door prizes such as a Google Home Mini, tickets to fall KU athletic Events, KU apparel, a free wellness coaching session and more.
Allison Koonce is Community Outreach & Engagement supervisor at LMH Health. She can be reached at allison.koonce@lmh.og.
