River Park Hospital sponsors annual fair

By Janice M. Howard / Style Editor for the Southern Standard

Bonnie Bear gets her boo boo taken care of by River Park Hospital’s surgical services director Gina Brennan as Blake Delong, 2, watches attentively. (Margaret Hobbs photo)

Mini Standard’s Bonnie Bear joined a host of children and adults as the 15th annual Women and Children’s Health Fair got under way April 12 at Three Star Mall. Purpose for the event, sponsored by River Park Hospital, was to promote good health, offer a fun time for children and an educational opportunity for parents.

“River Park thanks the public for supporting this health fair,” said CEO Steve Otto. “We feel it was a great opportunity for us to serve and educate the community on healthcare issues relating to women and children.”

Fingerprinting was conducted for the younger set and story time was provided by the mall and book store. Local bank employees were on hand to help set up a child’s savings account and the latest in seasonal fashions were modeled center stage.

Outside, DARE helicopter, police automobiles, McMinnville Fire Department’s red fire engine and the Lions Club bus equipped for vision testing were parked in view. At the infant car seat check point, Buckle Upper Cumberland, parents could have their children’s seats checked for safety.

As many as seven animals were adopted from the Humane Society and several monetary donations were collected.

Children were encouraged to bring their teddy bears to the Teddy Bear Clinic where a mock surgery was set up to repair any boo-boos the child’s companion might have suffered, thus giving them a non-threatening view of something they may have to face at some point.

There was a special cooking demonstration featuring Ann Cox, who appears on “Talk of the Town” on Channel 5 and Channel 4 Magazine. She also shared information on healthy eating, cooking and nutrition.

The health fair supplied various health screenings, such as free blood pressure checks, bone density checks, body fat analysis, dental screenings and vision tests performed by qualified medical personnel.