By DAVE BLOWER JR.
Farm World Editor
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Union Hospital of Terre Haute and the Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health will sponsor the Rural Health Day at the Farm World Expo on Aug. 2 at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds in Terre Haute.
The Health Fair will include:
•Blood pressure and blood sugar screenings
•Skin cancer checks
•Vision examinations
•Heel and foot exams
The event will include information on pandemic flu, emergency preparedness and much more - including events for children.
The Indiana Blood Center will host a blood drive in the morning. One lucky blood donor will earn a chance at winning two free tickets to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard NASCAR Nextel Cup race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Aug. 6. Details on how to win these tickets will be at the Indiana Blood Center’s mobile unit during the Expo.
The Lugar Center for Rural Health partners with Union Hospital’s Family Medicine Residency to provide a rural training program that prepares primary care physicians for practice in rural and underserved areas. Fifty physicians have graduated from this training program established in 1992.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to provide educational information about current health issues and to share important and timely information about things we can all do to better prepare and protect our families and keep them healthy,” said Sarah Snider, a Lugar Center administrator.
“We also want our rural residents to know how important their healthcare is to us as we focus our efforts on training physicians and health care providers to serve our many rural and underserved communities.”
Expo officials are pleased with the increased support from Vigo County sponsors. A new sponsor for this year’s event is The Lugar Center for Rural Health at Union Hospital of Terre Haute.
“The Lugar Center for Rural Health at Union Hospital is excited to be the health sponsor for this year’s Farm World Expo,” said Kristi Roshel, the marketing and public relations manager for Union Hospital.
“We are busy planning the largest health fair we’ve ever participated in. We will have more than 20 booths representing many health topics, many will offer free health screenings. There will be medical experts available for questions and lots of give-aways, too.”
The Expo’s Rural Health Day will be in the air-conditioned Floriculture Building at the fairgrounds.
The Lugar Center for Rural Health was established in 1992 with the mission of preparing and training primary care physicians for a successful rural practice. The center also works to expose medical students not yet decided on a career to the rewards of delivering health care services in a rural area.
Dr. Eric Beachy, who is a 2002 “graduate” of the Center, is now the medical director of the Clay City, Ind. Center for Family Medicine. The Clay City center is affiliated with Union Hospital and will take part in the Expo, too.
For more information about the Lugar Center for Rural Health, visit its website at www.lugarcenter.org
Information on farm safety around grain bins and healthy lifestyles - including nutrition, fitness, and tobacco cessation - also will be offered at the fair.
“Making healthy lifestyle choices is something we can all do,” Beachy said. “It is extremely important that we are aware of how much these choices affect our general health.” |