VMH to host Family Wellness Fair May 11

The 19th annual Family Wellness Fair will be held Wednesday, May 11 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Health testing, exhibits and activities will all be providing a complete evening of entertainment and education for families of all ages. Everyone in the area communities is welcome to attend this free event, sponsored by Veterans Memorial Hospital, and held in conjunction with the end of the Live Healthy Iowa Community Wellness Challenge.

ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment for the evening will include Tae Kwon Do demonstrations from 5-6 p.m. in the Healthy Lifestyles Center. Special appearances will be made by “Klyde Thinger” the Clown, plus balloon artist and professional medical representative Paul Kammarmeyer will again be on site making his creative balloon creations for the children attending the Wellness Fair.

In addition, a Waukon Fire Department fire truck and hospital ambulance will be parked in the front entrance to the hospital for children to view. Face painting will again be offered at the event and the new local radio station, KMRV “The River,” will be broadcasting on site. Child Car seat checks will also be offered by certified professionals who will be located at the shipping/receiving entrance to the hospital.

EXHIBITORS
Over 40 exhibitors will have tables on display providing demonstrations, games and crafts for the entire family. To date, the exhibitors include: Waukon Lions Club “Iowa Kid Sight” free vision screenings for children, Allamakee County Extension, Allamakee Substance Abuse Prevention, Mayo Health System Waukon Clinic, Gundersen Eye Clinic, Gundersen Waukon Medical Clinic, Families First Counseling, Helping Services for Northeast Iowa, Life Serve Blood Center, MOSAIC, NEICAC Early Childhood Programs, NICC, Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health, Northgate Care Center, Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging, TASC, Waukon Dental, Thornton Manor and Thornton Heights, Waukon and Postville Good Samaritan Center, Village Creek Bible Camp, Visiting Nurse Association, Clayton County VNA-WIC, Whitney Sleep Diagnostics, St. Croix Hospice, Allamakee County Conservation Board, Alzheimer’s Association, Riverview Center, Waukon Park and Recreation/Waukon Aquatic Center and the Waukon Wellness Center.

HEALTH FAIR
Veterans Memorial Hospital staff will be on hand to perform a number of free health tests. Blood pressure testing, grip strength testing, hand/eye coordination testing, flexibility screenings, balance screenings, memory screenings, O2 saturation and carbon monoxide testing and smoking cessation, diabetes and blood sugar testing, and chair massages and reflexology will all be available and performed free of charge. New this year, hemoglobin anemia tests will be offered free of charge.
Again this year, Veterans Memorial Hospital staff will be demonstrating and instructing the new “Hands Only” CPR that can effectively be used by anyone, on anyone who has a witnessed cardiac arrest. Wallet cards will be handed out to everyone for quick reference on this new, simple, two-step CPR procedure. Information on cancer and cancer prevention will also be available at the fair, as well as information on medical advance directives.

REFRESHMENTS
The Veterans Memorial Hospital Nutrition Services Department will be providing healthy pasta salads and refreshing spa water throughout the evening.

DOOR PRIZES
Over 100 door prizes will be given away the night of the Wellness Fair. All visitors to the Family Wellness Fair are eligible to win just by signing in at the registration table as they enter the hospital. Names will be drawn throughout the evening with all winners having their choice of door prizes.

LIVE HEALTHY IOWA PRIZES
Veterans Memorial Hospital will also be awarding prizes at the Wellness Fair to all those in Allamakee and northern Clayton counties that participated in the Live Healthy Iowa 10-Week Wellness Challenge in 2016. In order to claim their participation prize, Live Healthy Iowa participants are asked to present their access card at the receptionist desk during the fair.

The access cards can be found by going to the Live Healthy Iowa website at www.livehealthyiowa.org under the participant’s “my dashboard” tab. The card is located at the bottom right of the dashboard screen. It can then be printed and brought in to redeem the prize.

The 19th annual Family Wellness Fair, held Wednesday, May 11 from 3:30-6:30 p.m., is a community wide event offering families of all ages a night of entertainment and education about the resources available to them. This family event is free and open to all members of the community of any age.
For additional information, contact Erin Berns, Public Relations Director at Veterans Memorial Hospital, at 563-568-3411.