Orrville health fair set for Saturday
Published 8:41 pm Wednesday, February 20, 2013
ORRVILLE — Nearly two months have passed since making those New Year’s resolutions — and “trying to be more healthy” almost always tops the list. However, as the days and months go by, many may have already strayed or even forgotten their pledges to lead a healthier lifestyle in 2013, but with a health fair hosted by the town of Orrville coming up, Dallas County residents can get back on a track to good health.
The town of Orrville will host a free health fair Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Orrville Community Center from 10 a.m. to noon.
Elizabeth Kish, the health fair’s coordinator said there will be information on diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, insurance and more. And the information will be available in the form of brochures and pamphlets as well as from speakers who will be there to talk about things like the risk factors of diabetes and other serious diseases.
“It’s an educational opportunity to learn about the risk factors for high blood pressure and [other diseases] and how to prevent them,” Kish said. “It’s just a chance for [residents] to have access to information here locally.”
Kish is a retired nurse who used to work in anemergency room and cardiac rehab, and said she is still very passionate about health care.
Orrville Mayor Louvenia Lumpkin asked Kish to help set up the event as Orrville has never hosted a health fair like this before.
“It’s open to everyone,” Kish said, adding that she hopes people take advantage of the free service.
The health fair will provide an opportunity for people to learn about disease risk factors, even if they are not experiencing those factors, Kish said.
“So many of the risk factors for heart disease and diabetes and so forth, are familial. They’re things you inherit from your family,” she said. “And if you start making some lifestyle changes — lower your cholesterol, exercise more, keep your weight down and things like that — that can lower your risk for these types of things, especially if they run in your family.”