photo by: Chris Conde

Lawrence Memorial Hospital Main Street Entrance, October 2018.

LMH Health’s annual Community Health Fair is set for Saturday, Sept. 21, at the hospital campus at 330 Arkansas St.

The Kids Fun and Safety Zone returns this year from 8 to 10 a.m. in the parking lot at the southwest corner of Third and Arkansas streets. In the zone, participants can tour law enforcement, fire and rescue vehicles and interact with firefighters, paramedics and police. Additional activities and crafts also will be available in the Kids Zone.

Visitors can also ask questions about car seats. Children can be fitted with a free bicycle helmet (while supplies last), or bring a helmet and safety experts can check for fit and instruct children on the safety advantages of wearing a helmet.

Virginia Barnard, Safe Kids Douglas County coordinator at LMH Health, encourages everyone to wear a helmet.

“Investing in a helmet is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect the human brain from impact,” Barnard said. “A helmet should be worn on every ride.”

Inside on the lower level, the LMH Health Lab will be providing a comprehensive blood work profile from 7:30 to 10 a.m. The blood work profile includes 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 is available for males only. The cost is $40 ($50 if PSA testing is included).

According to the CDC, regular health exams and tests can help find problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better.

Additional screenings will be available on the main and lower levels of LMH Health from 7:30 to 10 a.m. They 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 are free screenings and no advance registration is required.

Flu shots provided by the Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association will be available on the main level. There is a $30 fee for regular dose shots for people age 18 and older. High dose shots are available for people age 50 and older. Medicare can be billed if you bring your Medicare card.

In addition to health screenings, many LMH Health providers and community partners will exhibit at the Health Fair. These exhibits provide 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 a.m. on the main and lower levels of the hospital.

Aynsley Anderson Sosinski, registered nurse at LMH Health, encourages everyone to attend the health fair.

“Attending the LMH Health Fair gives you a one-stop opportunity for free health screenings, low-cost blood work, flu shots and education on health topics that affect us all,” she said.

LMH Health will provide light refreshments to health fair participants in the atrium, which is on the lower level of the hospital. There also will be the chance to win door prizes, such as tickets to fall University of Kansas athletic events, KU apparel, a free wellness coaching session and more.

— Allison Koonce is community outreach and engagement supervisor at LMH Health, which is a major sponsor of the Lawrence Journal-World’s Health section. She can be reached at allison.koonce@lmh.org.