Have you been putting off getting basic bloodwork done? Or are you looking for ways to rev up your wellness? This Saturday you can explore all things health and wellness at Valley Health’s 32nd annual Community Wellness Festival at Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester.
The popular event will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with more than 80 exhibitors. Many people return year after year to take advantage of the free and low-cost tests and screenings that are offered.
You can get your blood pressure checked, have your hearing evaluated, try a healthy snack or check out a fitness demonstration in the mall’s JC Penney Court.
In addition to the screenings and demonstrations, a variety of health and wellness information will be available.
For children, a special area called the “Healthy Kids Experience” will offer informative, interactive fun, according to Mike Wade, Valley Health’s director of marketing operations.
There’s fun for adults, too, with “quizzes and giveaway items that make this a fun way to engage with health,” he added.
Valley Health also will offer free on-site CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and “Stop the Bleed” (learning to control severe bleeding) training throughout the day.
“The CPR training is an abbreviated training course that is a hands-on only CPR training method. It’s been clinically endorsed and can be taught to anyone in about 10 minutes,” Wade said.
Discounted laboratory testing is always a big draw at the event, which has been held since 1995.
“Valley Heath lab services will be there offering various bloodwork and blood testing at a low cost. Most of the other screens are free. Blood pressure checks, cardiovascular screenings and stroke assessments will be offered with no charge,” Wade said.
The results of the bloodwork will be mailed directly to the patient. Fasting is recommended for blood tests but is not necessarily required for lipid and glucose testing, according to Wade. If, for some reason, you cannot get a particular test done at the festival, vouchers will be offered at the discounted price so you can get it done at a later date.
The lab area will be open from 7 a.m. to noon.
A complete bloodwork panel costs $65 for females and $70 for males. Or you can choose from an a la cart menu of tests as follows:
• Community Wellness Panel ($25) complete blood count, comprehensive chemistry panel, lipid profile and thyroid stimulating hormone.
• Prostatic Specific Antigen ($5) This is a test approved to detect prostate cancer in males.
• Vitamin D ($15)
• Hemoglobin A1C ($5) Measures blood glucose levels and is useful in diagnosing/monitoring diabetes
• Vitamin B12 and folate ($10)
• Varicella ($10) determines immunity to chickenpox
Other screenings that will be available include cardiovascular disease, blood glucose, blood pressure, Body Mass Index, hearing, stroke risk and vein.
Wade said there are a few reasons why the Community Wellness Festival remains so popular. One is the support it receives from the Valley Health Foundation, which makes sure the event gets adequate funding each year. The partnership with the mall is key, too, he added.
“The mall is a non-threatening place to access health information. People who come to shop can linger and address things they might have been avoiding. Maybe a wife is having trouble getting her husband to go to the doctor to get tests. This might provide a place for him to quickly sit down and get a screening. Or people who might find it hard to schedule with a doctor can get some information here,” Wade said.
Another key to the festival’s success is timing. “I think the event being at the end of February is at a sweet spot in the year. It’s the end of winter, but it’s close enough to the New Year that people are still somewhat focused on New Year’s resolutions. It’s a nice intersection of timing for people to focus on their health. Our culture’s focus on health continues to grow yearly,” he said.
An event schedule with a map that shows exhibitor locations is available at valleyhealthlink.com/wellnessfestival. Paper maps will be available on-site at the festival.
