The Porter County Health Department hosted a Health and Wellness Fair in the Valparaiso community on Friday, June 14. Several vendors gathered at Central Park Plaza to provide health information for all attendees.
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Porter County Health Officer Dr. Maria Stamp explains what event attendees could expect.
“This is the first health and wellness fair we’re hosting,” Stamp said, “and we hope to make it an annual event. There will be lots of opportunities for people to stop by and learn about health and wellness while also seeing what’s going on in Porter County. We want people to know about the resources that are available here.”
Carrie Gschwind, administrator for the Porter County Health Department, explains how the concept for the health and wellness fair came about.
“We wanted to create a family-friendly idea where people could come together and check out resources from our community partners around the county,” Gschwind said. “The idea is to provide everything everyone needs to be healthy heading into the summer, with a focus on kids who have to go back to school in the fall.”
In addition to educating participants, they were offered the opportunity to receive free or low-cost health screenings, including preventive heart screenings, vaccinations, blood pressure checks, dental exams, vision screenings and back-to-school health screenings.
“The cardiac exams are done in partnership with the Zach Mago Foundation,” Gschwind said, “The foundation donates a test every year and will donate the remaining tests done today. The sports physicals are being donated in partnership with HealthLink and the Northwest Health Family Medicine Residency Program.”
The fair offered a variety of ways for people to learn about health and wellness, as well as several fun games and activities. The fair featured a food truck alley, free haircuts, face painting, many school supply giveaways, and more.
“We’ll have a DJ come and play some great music for everybody,” Gschwind said. “Some of our staff will be dressed up in costumes like SpongeBob Squarepants, Virus, followed by Vaccine. The splash pad will be open for the kids, so it’s a great way for people of all ages to celebrate.”
The Porter County Health Department strives to be involved in the community, and events like this are a great way for the health department to meet many people who want to learn more about these resources.
“Public health is a little bit different than what people typically think of when they think of health care,” Gschwind said. “We focus on the overall health of the individual, and ensuring that basic needs are met is important to allow individuals to focus on their clinical needs. That’s why it’s so important that we get out here and do these health promotion activities and make these connections within the community.”
After all, this inaugural Health and Wellness Fair was made possible thanks to all of the vendors who came to Central Park Plaza to display their wares.
“We had over 40 community partners help make this health fair possible,” Stamp said. “Porter County has so many great programs and great resources, and we’re so grateful for our community partners and the great work they do. We’re all doing our best to make sure county residents leave with the information and resources they need.”
For more information about the Porter County Health Department, please visit their website. If you attended the health fair, we would love to hear your feedback from the Porter County Health Department. Click on this link to fill out a short survey: https://forms.gle/mDroYMxfURRHUZZk7
