Free pre-Health Fair health screening tests available during March
Health Fair on April 2, 2011
by St. John’s Lutheran Hospital
February 23, 2011
St. John’s Lutheran Hospital’s Annual Road to Health: Health Fair will be held on Saturday April 2, 2011 from 9:30am to 1:00pm at the Memorial Center in Libby. The fair – popular for its interactive health and wellness related exhibits, kid friendly activities, bone density testing, and more – is once again offering free and discounted health screening tests (cholesterol, PSA, glucose, thyroid, etc.) before the fair. This advance testing is beneficial to participants because the lab results will be available at the fair where local medical providers will be on-hand to answer questions and provide more information concerning the results.
"Last year, many fairgoers took advantage of the medical providers who donated their time to answer health related questions and explain screening results," commented Susan Horelick, Health/Wellness Manager at St. John’s. "Our motivation is to offer folks attending the fair the information and guidance they need to understand which are normal results, and which results indicate the need to see their medical providers for diagnosis and treatment."
St. John’s will once again be giving away 200 free Lipid Panels (Cholesterol) and Glucose screening (a $90 value), as well as offering significantly discounted screenings for PSA (prostate), A1c (diabetes), and TSH (thyroid) for $15 each, and Hemogram (anemia) testing for $5. The results from these drawings can be picked up at the Health Fair on the 2nd or at the front desk of the hospital the week after the fair.
The lab draws for all of the pre-fair screenings will take place during the weeks of March 14 – 18 and March 21 – 25. Registration is required for all of these screenings. Starting March 7th from 10am – 3pm, you may call Susan at 406-293-0164 to register.
The pre-Healthfair screen will be limited to the first 200 free Lipid Panels on a first come, first serve basis. Discounted blood test vouchers will be available at the Healthfair for those who need tests but didn’t get in on the first 200, The labs for those tests will be drawn the week following the fair, April 4-8. Results can then be picked up at the front desk of the hospital the week of April 11 – 15.
On the day of their screening, all parties must check in at the front desk of the hospital before they proceed to the lab. Twelve hours of fasting is required for Lipid and Glucose testing. Payment in the form of cash or check for the discounted screenings will be required at the time of service and insurance will not be billed.
"Making the commitment to regular health screening tests is one of the most important things you can do to protect your good health," said Horelick. "Because they don’t cause recognizable symptoms until they are already a problem, disorders such as hypertension (high blood pressure), osteoporosis, and diabetes are often call the ‘silent stalkers’ of your good health. A simple blood test, heel scan, or finger stick can often alert us to a potential problem before serious disease is present, and while the condition is most easily treated. An out of range test results can be a lifesaving wake up call and a great motivator to seek advice and treatment."
At the Health Fair, people will have the opportunity to pick up lots of great health information from over 60 exhibits. The Health Fair on April 2, 2011, will be open from 9:30am to 1:00pm and is free to the public.
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