PRINCE OF WALES – SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is hosting the Thorne Bay Community Health Fair on Friday, May 13, 2016, at the Thorne Bay School.
Events will take place from 8:00 am to 12 noon and will include health screenings and vendor booths promoting a healthy lifestyle. Many of the vendors will be focusing on locally grown and harvested foods as a way to achieve and maintain health.
SEARHC Health Promotion staff will be distributing material to teach attendees about the benefits of local and traditional foods in the area. Examples of the educational material include, “Good Beach Food,” a children’s coloring book, desk calendars, posters, food guides, seafood recipes, and nutritional information. In addition, there will be educational and promotion information on Men’s Health.
Attendees can also look forward to visiting with local gardener, and writer James David Sneed, who will feature gardening tips at his booth. Another local gardener, Shane Aysrand will provide information about the Community Garden in Craig, and let people know about opportunities for planting and renting space there.
The Prince of Wales Health Network will be passing out “Grow! Harvest! Eat!” bumper stickers to raise awareness about the Network’s initiative that places an emphasis on locally grown and harvested foods as a tool to improve and maintain health. The mission of “Grow! Harvest! Eat!” is to educate and remind community members that the Island’s best foods are locally grown and harvested.
Those interested in learning about their personal health can receive free screenings for vision, glaucoma, and blood pressure, and find out their height, weight, and BMI. Individuals 18 years and older may obtain high quality, affordable blood tests as well. Fasting is not required for blood screenings, but for optimal glucose testing results, fasting for 10–12 hours beforehand is recommended. However, people with diabetes should not fast. It is best to check with your medical provider for specific recommendations. You are encouraged to drink plenty of water and continue to take prescription medications. People that plan to have blood drawn are reminded to drink plenty of water before doing so.
For more information call (907)278-0234 or visit www.alaskahealthfair.org, or contact SEARHC Health Educator, Lauren Hughey at laurenh@searhc.org or (907) 966-8797.
Organizations or individuals that would like to have a booth at the event should call (907)278-0234 or visit www.alaskahealthfair.org.