Community health fairs planned across Mat-Su

MAT-SU — It takes less than three minutes to capture enough blood to save a life. And it could be your life you’re saving by stopping by one of the community health fairs happening in the Valley in April and May.

Whether discovering dangerously high blood pressure through a free screening or revealing elevated blood sugar or signs of prostate cancer through low-cost blood tests, Alaska Health Fair Inc. and community health fairs throughout Alaska provide vital health information in a fun, friendly way every spring and fall.

The March 9 Wasilla Community Health Fair at the Wasilla Area Seniors facility helped an estimated 150 local residents take control over their own health. Alaska Health Fair hopes as many folks will join us at the Big Lake Community Health Fair April 13 at Big Lake Elementary School from 8 a.m. to noon. The Willow Community Health Fair is the following weekend on April 20 at the Willow Community Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“A health fair is really an opportunity to expand your knowledge about how to take care of yourself,” Alaska Health Fair Executive Director Deborah Corker said recently about the importance of health fairs. “And health fairs are fun because you can talk to who you want to and get the information you need in a safe, friendly environment.”

In addition to free blood pressure checks, vision screenings and several education stations, participants can get a 27-panel blood test that includes sugar, cholesterol, liver and kidney markers for only $45. Other blood tests for thyroid ($30), A1C-non-fasting sugar ($25), Vitamin D ($50), blood typing ($20) and prostate ($25) also are available.

Fasting for at least 10 hours is necessary for accurate results for the 27-panel test only. Be sure to drink plenty of water for all blood tests. Blood test results are mailed confidentially to participants usually within two weeks of the blood draw with information that helps them understand the numbers.

Local exhibitors will be offering information and resources for seniors, children, general health care, and on specific topics such as kidney care and smoking cessation.

Participants also will benefit from a one-on-one chat with a local health care provider at our checkout station, as well as leaving armed with a multitude of educational handouts that can help them make better choices for their lives.

AHF events have opened the eyes of a variety of Alaskans, such as a Slope worker who discovered he had liver cancer and was flown to a hospital immediately for treatment. Then there was the senior couple that bought $5 home colon screening kits and found out they both had cancerous polyps that could be removed in time. Others discovered they had diabetes or dangerously high blood pressure.

For at least one Alaska Health Fair employee, the importance of getting screened on a regular basis is personal. Twelve years ago, when Tanana Valley Program Director Sharon Phillips was only 44, she discovered nearly too late that she had hundreds of primary cancers growing in her thyroid and spreading to her lymph nodes.

“There were no symptoms,” the grandmother of eight said. “If I had been to a health fair and gotten the thyroid blood test, I would have caught it much sooner. Fortunately, I was able to be treated in time and have been cancer free for the past decade.”

For more information, visit alaskahealthfairnet or call 631-0789.

Kate McKee is the Mat-Su Program Director for Alaska Health Fair Inc.