New events and activities offered at Veterans Memorial Hospital’s “Family Wellness Fair” taking place May 14

The annual “Family Wellness Fair” will be held Wednesday, May 14 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) in Waukon. Health and wellness testing, exhibits, activities and refreshments will all be providing a complete evening of entertainment and education for families of all ages. All visitors are again welcome to enter the wellness fair through the Veterans Memorial Hospital main entrance, the hospital clinic entrance or the Gundersen Emplify Clinic entrance, allowing for more accessible parking options.    

Exhibitors
Many exhibitors will have tables on display with information, demonstrations, and activities for the entire family. Over 40 exhibitors with educational information, games, treats, prizes and activities are planned with seven new exhibitors being welcomed to the wellness fair this year. They will be located throughout the route that winds through the hospital, Gundersen Emplify Clinic and the Veterans Memorial Hospital Clinic.  

Gundersen Emplify Clinic will be hosting a health carnival for all visitors to the wellness fair to enjoy. Veterans Memorial Hospital Nutrition Services will be providing protein rich snacks and also providing information on the GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Allamakee Prevention Advisory is returning this year with its Hidden in Plain Sight room, educating adults on the creative ways youth can hide drug and vaping materials right in plain sight.

Entertainment
Entertainment for the evening will include special appearances by balloon artist Mike Chapman and “Klyde Thinger” the Clown.  A Waukon Fire Department fire truck and a Veterans Memorial Hospital ambulance will also be parked outside the wellness fair for children to view. Face painting will again be offered this year as well as a health care career booth, plus many other activities.

Health Fair
Veterans Memorial Hospital staff will be on hand to perform a number of free health tests and share health information such as blood pressure testing, O2 saturation and carbon monoxide testing, hemoglobin testing, the effects of smoking, diabetes and blood sugar testing, Vitamin D and blood type testing, correct hand washing technique, poison prevention and information on the new patient portal, MyChart, which will be launched in mid-June.

For the third year, “Be the Match” bone marrow sampling will be offered which will be provided by the hospital’s laboratory. This is the same program that Robin Roberts from Good Morning America endorses following her own successful bone marrow transplant match 10 years ago.

A blood stem cell donation can be a cure for blood cancer, sickle cell, and other deadly diseases. Many patients and their families are counting on drives like this to find their match. The process is simple and painless and will be available for all visitors to the wellness fair this year.

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 event.  Names will be drawn throughout the evening with all winners posted at the same door those visitors entered, so it is important to enter and exit at the same door. The fair route will include both clinics as well as the lower level of the hospital. Parking will be available at all three entrances to the fair, as well as along the street.  

The annual “Family Wellness Fair,” held Wednesday, May 14, from 3:30 p.m. to 6 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 fun-filled family event is free and open to all members of the community of any age. For any additional information, feel free to contact Erin Berns, Public Relations Director at VMH at 563-568-3411.