Somerset Junior Woman’s Club members show off a set of inflatable lungs to greet visitors at the Community Health, Wellness and Resource Fair. Pictured, from left, are Wynonna Padgett, Lisa Hoore, Stacey Wesley and Ada Waddle.
Those who attended the Somerset Junior Woman’s Club’s Community Health, Wellness and Resource Fair on Saturday received a wealth of knowledge and possibly a few bags of trinkets and goodies.
The fair, held Saturday at the Rural Development Center, was designed to reach people who need medical help but don’t know where to turn. The fair was also a way for resources and clinics to talk to people who are uninsured or underinsured.
About 30 vendors spoke to visitors, educating the public on a wide range of topics from where to get mental health help to how to perform CPR.
The CPR theme was picked up by Ernie Acton, a paramedic and educator with Somerset-Pulaski County EMS, who had a doll on hand to demonstrate the correct way to perform CPR on both adults and children. He also wanted to let businesses and organizations know that he offers more formal CPR classes for groups.
Paramedic Ernie Acton taught visitors how to perform CPR.
At the booth right next to him, Judy Price of Somerset Police was busy walking parents through the process of filling out Kid ID kits and being fingerprinted, teaching them how to protect their kids.
Price also spoke about Somerset Constabulary’s “Shepherd’s Watch,” a program that allows local businesses and residents to register their security cameras and let Somerset Constabulary know where they are located.
That way, local police will know who to contact to find video evidence if a crime occurs in the area.
“Not only will this help deter crime, but it will also contribute to the police department’s overall crime prevention strategy in your local area,” a Shepherds Watch brochure explains.
SPD does not have remote access to the cameras, rather it only provides information that there are cameras in the area.
Registration for this program is free and can be done by calling 606-678-5176.
Aside from emergency services, fair visitors can also take part in health screenings, speak with dental professionals and learn more about medical services they may not have known about before.
One such service is new mammography technology offered by Lake Cumberland Imaging Center that gives women some control over their screening.
Oncology Nurse Navigator Jessica Simpson helped the women sign up to receive phone calls from the imaging center as reminders to schedule their screening appointments. Mammograms can help detect breast cancer and breast abnormalities early and are recommended for all women over the age of 40.
Simpson explained that the imaging center has a new device where the patient exerts pressure, and the patient can press a button to control the paddles that apply pressure.
Jessica Simpson, a nurse navigator at Lake Cumberland Imaging Center, encouraged women to schedule mammograms during Saturday’s Health, Wellness and Resource Fair.
Such devices reduce patients’ anxiety and create a more relaxing atmosphere, she explained.
To schedule an appointment, please contact the Diagnostic Imaging Center at 606-678-3545. A physician referral is not necessary.
It is not just individuals who need to get tested for health problems, one of the main causes of health problems can be one’s own home, and Anna Jones from the Southern Kentucky Regional Health Center, representing the University of Kentucky, attended the fair to speak about the need to test homes for radon.
Jones explained that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, and the leading cause of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.
The gas is colorless, odorless, and therefore undetectable to humans, and unlike carbon monoxide and other harmful gases, it does not cause immediate symptoms.
Jones said anyone wanting to test radon levels in their home can get a test kit at the Pulaski County Library, which anyone can take home free of charge.
These kits test homes for two weeks, after which homeowners can send the kit to a UK laboratory to have the average radon levels in their home tested.
Of the free giveaways visitors could pick up at the fair, one of the most interactive was a handmade stress ball provided by Somerset Mental Health.
Erica Bartley and Katasha Smith taught visitors to their table how to make their own squishy stress relievers, pointing out that it’s not just kids having fun.
The women said they enjoyed the doll-making just as much, if not more, than many of the fair’s older visitors.
When it comes to helping people with mental health issues, both women said they feel stress balls could be particularly helpful for people with ADHD, as activities like stress balls and fidget spinners may help such people improve their focus, they said.
The women also handed out a guide to Somerset Mental Health’s services – for more information visit the Somerset Mental Health website at www.somersetmentalhealth.com
