50 vendors expected for health fair Saturday

Fifty vendors are expected at Bonners Ferry Health Fair from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 17, at Boundary Community Hospital.

“Sometimes people have concerns about health and they don’t know if they should be worried and where they can find information,” said Tina Wilson, community relations coordinator for the hospital and health fair organizer. “There is a lot of information in one place here.”

“The hospital has been doing this for more years than I can remember,” Wilson continued. “We try to bring together as many vendors as possible to talk about health care issues and lifestyle issues.”

The fair starts with an 8 a.m. fun run, where people can run or walk a 3-, 5-, or 10-mile route. Registration starts at 7 a.m.

It will be followed by a bicycle safety rodeo at 9 a.m. The first 70 children accompanied by an adult will be fitted for a free helmet.

Vendors will include support groups for cancer and diabetes, a foster family recruiter, people looking for senior campaigns, Tiffany Little, owner of Curves, American Red Cross, a massage therapist, companies with nutritional supplements, and representatives from Head Start in Bonners Ferry, University of Phoenix and North Idaho College.

Free glucose checks will be provided by Kootenai Tribal Clinic. The hospital will be doing free blood pressure checks, and the hospital lab will hand out coupons for free cholesterol screenings.

“We offer those free of costs, for that alone, we have a lot of our senior population coming through,” said Wilson.

The University of Idaho Extension Office will bring its germ city, which shows the germs on hands and teaches people how to wash them properly.

“It has been really beneficial to the children,” said Wilson. “The number one ways to stop infection is hand washing.”

With 300 people present at the fair last year, she is hoping for a greater turnout.

“Last year it rained so this year we are hoping for sunshine,” said Wilson.