May 7, 2015

Family health fair entices the interest of hundreds

The Side-by-Side Humanitarian Food Bank provided fresh fruits to the Highland Springs Medical Plaza Health Fair attendees.

On, April 26, the Highland Springs Medical Plaza, at Highland Springs Medical Plaza, a Loma Linda University Health facility, hosted its second annual Family Health Fair. 

Held in the Beaumont facility parking lot, hundreds of local residents were in attendance. The event offered free health screenings, child safety presentations by the California Highway Patrol, veterans services counseling by the San Diego field office of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, massage therapy sessions, fire safety demonstrations and a fire truck tour with the Banning Fire Department. With so much going on, attendees were far from bored.

Several informational booths were available, courtesy of Loma Linda University Medical Center, covering a range of topics such as women’s health, diabetes and hypertension. Loma Linda University Health Care department of plastic surgery also provided information on its services, and Redlands Community Hospital offered lung capacity testing. The Side-by-Side Humanitarian Food Bank, part of the Calimesa Chamber of Commerce, had fresh fruits available to attendees. 

The opportunity for community members to “Live It” was showcased in the form of healthy cooking and exercise demonstrations held throughout the day. The taste testing and physical dance activities were some of the more popular attractions, drawing the attention of many fairgoers.   

For the children, there were a number of entertaining activities such as face painting, mini train rides, balloon animals and even a petting zoo, which featured a Ball Python, a turkey, turtles, a llama and a bearded dragon lizard. 

In addition to the booths, Loma Linda University School of Dentistry was in attendance with its mobile dental clinic, and Lifestream took the opportunity to hold a blood drive at the event. But no fair is complete without a few classic cars. A collection of antique cars was on display, bringing back happy memories for many of the crowd members.

Jesse Mock, vice president and administrator of the Highland Springs Medical Plaza, was thrilled at the turnout: “This is a very popular event. Every year, community members always appreciate the opportunity to participate in our free health screenings, and with the added attractions for the children, it has become an annual fun-filled family event.”

The event was gauged a huge success, based on the numbers of visitors, the many booths and activities, the smiles and laughter among the fairgoers, and the overheard comment, “This is fantastic!! Let’s spend the day here!!”

Share