County Health Fair provides citizens beneficial information, testing
By BARRY HALVORSON bhalvorson@journal-spectator.com

Clutching the various giveaways they had already collected, sisters Ninfa Luera and Yolanda Montelongo were more excited about the information they picked upduring Tuesday's 3rd Annual Wharton County Health Fair.

"I heard there were going to be some doctors here," Luera said. "Since I only get checkups once every four months or so, I wanted to get screened for high blood pressure or cholesterol."

And a jubilant Montelongo added, "Our tests showed everything is fine so we're doing good between doctor visits."

The various screenings offered during the health fair, which also included blood sugar and hand strength tests, are an important part of the event, Charla Kulcak said. The marketing director for South Texas Medical Clinics, she said her company was doing the blood sugar screening Tuesday, but might offer blood pressure tests the next time she sets up a booth.

"We prefer those two because they are the most reliable," she said. "We also like to have a lot of health information around. A lot of people won't go to the doctor for a regular check up, but the information we can give them through the screening or in a pamphlet might encourage them to bring it up when they see the doctor for a cold."

Kulcak added offering the blood sugar screening is "a bit" of a marketing ploy.

Using a similar ploy was the Avalon Place booth and its admissions person Lisa Cokins, who was offering the hand strength testing.

"The health fair's a good way to inform people about what we offer," she said. "They stop and line up for the test and it gives us a chance to talk to them."

Cokins uses the opportunity of those talks to also clear up misconceptions about her own company. She said while most people view "nursing homes" as a facility where people drop aging parents off, most also provide rehabilitation and post-injury care services on a temporary basis.

"Part of the purpose of everyone here is to re-educate people not only about our own businesses, but about the quality and range of health care available in the area."

El Campo Memorial Hospital's Donna Mikeska has been a member of the health fair organizing committee since the event was founded.

"This is a great way for us to reach out to people," she said. "We get a mixed group of adults, people with children and a lot of senior citizens. And people get excited about it. We were scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and we had people lining up at 10:30 so we let them in. A lot of them

skipped meals so they would be ready for the screenings that were offered."

Representing BlueCross BlueShield, Aracely Palomares said her meet and greet responsibilities extended beyond just informing the public.

"This is a great time to network with other health care professionals," she said. "I'm here promoting our Service in the Neighborhood for Seniors program which gives them information they need on changes in Medicare benefits. I can make contacts with others to discuss presenting the information to their clients."

Gulf Coast Medical Center was represented by occupational therapist Lubna Nadeen and assistant physical therapist Denice Bowers. They were updating people on the various out-patient treatments offered by the hospital that people might not be aware are available.

"Most people think of hospitals in terms of acute care needs," Nadeen said. "But there is so much more available."

Carolyn Osborne was representing Wharton County Junior College's Senior Citizen Program, which coordinates such programs as offering center meals, meals on wheels, local transportation and afternoon activities in Wharton and Colorado Counties.

"This is a program that the college has been a part of for 32 years," she said. "Actually, it is unusual for a college to serve in this role, but you have to understand that WCJC is really a part of the community and serves all parts of the community. The meals we serve are important, but just as important are the opportunities we offer seniors to get out and socialize.

"As they grow older, family and friends die off and they tend to just sit at home. This helps get them out and keeps them in contact with people, an important part of health care."

While other booths were advertising services, the booth set up by Dr. Billy Winkles and his wife, Margaret, promoted a product - Goji Juice - which Winkles described as a natural, health inducing tonic.

"We really believe in this product and this is a perfect location to promote its use," he said. "As a chiropractor, I take care of the mechanical alignment of the body while the Goji juice takes care of the internal chemistry."

By offering such a diversity of information on products and services, Mikeska said the fair achieves its main goal.

"We want to educate people on the health resources in the area," she said. "Most people don't worry about medical services until they need them and they flounder to find a way once they do. Events like this give them the information and skills they need to maintain their health."