The LMH Health Fair will include many of traditional offerings, including blood profiles, which will be available from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the hospital, 325 Maine St.

The Lawrence Memorial Hospital Health Fair this Saturday will feature new activities, including several that children and their parents will enjoy.

A Kids Fun and Safety Zone will be open from 8 to 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot at the southwest corner of Third and Arkansas streets. In the zone, children and their families — and other adults, for that matter — can meet firefighters and police officers. We’ll have professionals who can help children with a proper fit for a free bicycle helmet and who can answer questions about car seats and booster seats. Community partners will offer crafts and other activities for children.

The LMH Health Fair also will include many of traditional offerings, including blood profiles, which will be available from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the hospital, 325 Maine St.

Holly Hamilton, chief medical technologist in the LMH Laboratory, said, “We are excited to offer affordable lab testing at the annual LMH Health Fair. The lab testing offered at our annual health fair includes a simple blood test to check cholesterol levels.”

Additional tests in the comprehensive blood work include: glucose, potassium, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, calcium, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein and cholesterol ratios. A PSA (prostate specific antigen) test is optional, and it is available for males only.

This comprehensive profile will be available for a discounted rate of $40 ($50 with PSA), which is a savings of more than $400. You can find the registration form in the Lawrence Journal-World, at lmh.org/health-fair, or you can call the lab for a form at 785-505-2653. You also can register at the fair on Saturday.

A variety of other health screenings will be available from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. No advanced registration is needed for these free screenings, which will include blood pressure checks, body mass index, hearing screenings, vision screenings, finger stick fasting blood sugar, skin cancer, bone density, balance and stroke risk assessment.

These screenings, which will take place on the main and lower levels of Lawrence Memorial Hospital, can help detect problems before they start. John Drees, a registered nurse with LMH Education and Learning Services, said, “Another advantage is that if you have a specific medical condition or concern, this is an opportunity to chat informally with providers during the various screening processes.”

Lawrence Memorial Hospital is a major sponsor of WellCommons.

In addition to health screenings, many LMH providers and community partners will exhibit at the Health Fair. These exhibits will provide you an opportunity to gain information, and to interact and ask questions on a variety of health topics. More than 20 area health agencies’ exhibits will be open from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. on the main and lower levels of the hospital.

The Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association will be provide flu shots for people ages 18 and up at a cost of $21. Flu shots are dependent on vaccine availability and will be available from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. on the LMH main level.

In order to provide community support, please consider bringing canned food that will be donated to Just Food. Drop off your donation in barrels provided in the main entrance.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital also will provide light refreshments to Health Fair participants in the Atrium, which is on the lower level of the hospital.

— Allison Koonce is community education specialist at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, which is a major sponsor of WellCommons. She can be reached at allison.koonce@lmh.og.