2010 Living Well Community Health Fair

Gymnastics lessons for children, blood tests for adults and health information for everyone were some of the offerings at Saturday’s free community health fair.

Sky Lakes Medical Center public relations and marketing coordinator Tom Hottman said the purpose of the event was to give Klamath residents an interactive way to look at their health.

“People can get a lot of different snapshots of their health in one place,” Hottman said.

The fair at the Mabel Liskey Henzel Pavilion offered about 60 different exhibits from Sky Lakes and other community partners, all meant to promote individual health and nutrition among children and adults.

“It’s good information,” Hottman said.

Exhibits

In addition to information from health clubs, private doctors’ offices and nutrition sotres, the fair offered medical tests and screening.  Participants were able to get their blood, lung function and hearing tested for free with any necessary recommendations for seeking treatment.

Marvin Rimer, a student of respiratory therapy (at Oregon Institute of Technology], helped conduct lung volume tests by having participants blow and sustain a breath into a machine that monitored lung function.  The device looked for signs pointing to obstructions in the airway, which could be a sign of emphysema, asthma or other lung-related problems.

“Any of those things can cause a problem with your breathing,” Rimer said.

A blood lab was also on site, checking glucose and cholesterol levels in the blood through a finger-prick test.

“Patients (got) their results on the spot,” said Kathy Jamison-Ross, technical operations supervisor for the lab.

Jamison-Ross said the blood tests can show if people are at risk for diabetes or a heart attack.

Fun for kids

Children also had plenty to choose from at the fair.

Recreational activities included the Dance Dane Revolution video game, a free gymnastics lesson and basketball with players from the Oregon Institute of Technology’s women’s [and men’s] basketball team.

Sharon Miller said her 10-year-old granddaughter Gehryn enjoyed the basketball.

“She’s getting to do lots of stuff here,” Miller said.  “We don’t want to go.”

Hottman said the focus on children’s physical activity came with the goal of making exercise a lifelong habit.

“We want kids to be active from the beginning,” he said.

Article from Sunday, March 7, 2010, Herald and News.