If you own or work for a small business, chances are you are pretty busy all the time. But, take a break sometime between 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on April 13 and take in the Small Business Health Fair at the Flagstaff Aquaplex hosted by North Country HealthCare. This will be an opportunity to learn a little about your health, perhaps get a free blood screening and gain knowledge about local services that will help keep you healthy.
Flagstaff resident Ruth Austin, who owns PS Printing with her husband Dino, says she is looking forward to the event this year. Last year, she was a volunteer who checked in participants.
“There’s a lot to take in,” she said. “It’s kind of one-stop shopping. You go through there and learn a lot in a short time about body and skin care.”
She said she has always wanted to investigate different services in the area, but she is busy.
“I always wanted to find out more about massage therapy and what acupuncture was all about, but I never had the time,” she said.
This is the opportunity to do just that.
“You can walk around and talk to the actual person who does the services. That is really interesting.”
Offered at the event will be free health screenings such as blood pressure, tests for HIV, bone density, body fat measurements and more.
Participants can taste samples of healthy food, get free massages and samples of acupuncture and learn about free or low-cost wellness programs.
Katie Brock, the public relations coordinator or North Country HealthCare, says this will be the fourth year of the event, which is geared toward small business owners and their employees in Northern Arizona.
The first health fair was planned very quickly in a short amount of time, but was an instant success, she said.
The instant interest was probably because those attending were given a free blood screening.
“It is a $35 to $40 value and the results are mailed back to them with an explanation sheet,” Brock said.
The first event was held in their old office, which was overflowing.
“We felt the need to expand. The next year we moved to the Flagstaff Aquaplex. It took off. We had 50 vendors and about 300 people.”
Last year, organizers kept the event at the Aquaplex and narrowed down the vendors a little.
“We kept the best vendors and the best things for the people attending. We had 35 vendors and great food,” she said.
About 500 people came to the event.
This year, the first 250 people who wish to, can have the blood test.
“We are able to do this because Mountain Heart is supporting the event this year with additional funding,” Brock said.
This year’s event is expected to attract 500 to 600 people.
“You should come to the event and learn about all the different options you might not know about in our community,” she said. “People might not know that North Country HealthCare has a variety of programs like a diabetes education program. You can come in and get some great education and advice about how to manage your diabetes. You can also come to North Country and get a cancer screening for free.”
For the event, North Country HealthCare partners with the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce Small Business Development Center, the Flagstaff Independence Alliance, the Coconino County Health Department; the city of Flagstaff, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona.
North Country is a community health center, which means it accepts all types of patients, from Medicare to AHCCCS to traditional health insurance. Patients can pay on a sliding scale determined by their income and members in their family. FBN
To learn more about the health fair, call Brock at HYPERLINK “tel:%28928%29%20774-8304″928-774-8304. To learn more about North Country HealthCare, call HYPERLINK “tel:%28928%29%20213-6100″928-213-6100.
The Aquaplex is at 1702 N. 4th Street in Flagstaff.
