Church hosts health fair

A wealth of information on local service providers, plus demonstrations and health tests, will be available during the third annual St. Charles Health Fair from 7 to 10 a.m. Nov. 14 at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 728 W. Union St.
As a nurse, event organizer Helen Drozd, has a special interest in keeping others well.
"This is a need, and we are trying to do this at least once a year," she said. "We are going to have 22 booths with information and services available to the public. This includes physicians offices and service providers."
Several doctors, nurses, physical therapists, chiropractors and a wellness coordinator will provide health information and screenings. Door prizes will be given away. Interpreters will be on hand to help people who speak Spanish or who are deaf.
"We will have blood pressure checks, a free bone-density screenings for osteoporosis and Western Piedmont Heart Centers will be doing peripheral vascular screenings that look at the blood flow in your legs," Drozd said, there also will be lipid panel testing.
If the vaccine is available, H1N1 flu vaccinations will be administered by the Burke County Health Department.
Nature's Bounty will offer free samples and information at its booth.
Store owner Maureen Johnson said, "We are going to have some samples and some tastings along with books from the store for people to look through. We usually have a broad spectrum of things including multiples, vitamin C, supplement packets to help boost the immune system and some snack-type things. We will also offer some suggestions for what people are buying to combat the flu."
Representatives of the American Red Cross, N.C. Services for the Blind, Options, Healthy Burke and other community organizations will be on hand with information. According to Drozd, it wasn't hard to find participants from the health field for the fair.
"Everyone was willing to participate. They see the need for the community to have access to these services," she said.
Some booths are so much geared to health services as they are to providing services for people's overall wellbeing in Burke County.
Lt. Tom Rhyne with the Burke County Sheriff's Office said, "We are going to have some information on gun safety and a limited number of gun locks. One of the things we really want to address is teen safety and the dangers of driving under the influence as well as under-age drinking."
Rhyne said the sheriff's community-policing division provides information and services at a number of community events such as the upcoming health fair.
"We do between 200 and 300 events a year and we are extremely busy within the community," he said.
Forms will be available to sign up for the RUOK program, a free service geared toward senior adults or anyone who lives alone and doesn't have someone in contact with them every day, Rhyne said. When people sign up, they can choose a time when a computer will call them. If no one answers, the sheriff's office dispatches a patrol car to verify the person is OK, Rhyne said.
"It is a good program and it has impacted the lives of a number of seniors in getting them help," he said.
People interested in free lipid-panel screening, which include glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride numbers, will need to come hungry. They need to start fasting before midnight (it's permissible to take medications with a sip of water, though).
"We will be providing a light breakfast for those who are participating in the fasting blood work," Drozd said.
Sometime later, participants will receive a mailed confidential report with an explanation of what the lab results mean.
Drozd said, "We like to provide this health fair as an opportunity for people who don't have access to regular health care. We are concerned because of the economy (that) people ... are not going for preventative care. This event is an access point where they can come without an appointment."
She added, "Everything is free and we are thrilled to do this and we are hoping for a good turnout."