One issue people of all ages and backgrounds seem to agree on is the importance of good health. A steady number of Liberty County residents concerned with getting or staying healthy attended the fourth annual community health fair held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the National Guard Armory in Hinesville.
Omar Melendez, 24, had his blood pressure checked and received a glucose screening by Liberty Regional Medical Center paramedic Patrick Daniels.
"I came to take advantage of the free health services," Melendez said.
"It (fair) is going great. We’ve had a big turnout," Daniels said.
Fair attendees could also get vision screenings by the Hinesville Lions Club as well as weight consultations, posture screenings and HIV testings with same day results from area health professionals.
"We’ve screened 42 people so far," Hinesville Lions Club member Don Snelsire said Saturday afternoon. Snelsire said club members screened local residents to see if they were near or farsighted, and if they needed further care they could refer them to the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation for additional services. The lighthouse offers full eye exams, eyeglasses, eye surgeries, digital hearing aids and comprehensive vision and hearing screenings for uninsured and low-income Georgians, according to www.lionslighthouse.org.
"It (the fair) is very informative," said Elaine Stieg, who received a posture screening from chiropractor Dr. David Peer. Peer opened Liberty County Clinic of Chiropractic late last summer in Hinesville.
Hinesville Day Spa & Salon owner Sheela Eichhorn handed out samples of weight loss shakes and vitamin packs, all part of a new nutritional line the spa carries.
"Some folks think if something is healthy it won’t taste good. That’s just not true," said Kat Dominguez, with Hinesville Day Spa & Salon.
Fair attendees could also donate blood during the fair. The Blood Alliance’s blood mobile was parked outside the armory. Jessica Matthews, a donor resource consultant with the Blood Alliance, said "there’s always a shortage of blood in the community."
The trauma center at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah uses about 1,000 units a month, Matthews said. "We always come up short," she said. "Right now we average 600 units a month."
Lavonia LeCounte with Project Reach G.A.N.G. Inc. told young people and families about an upcoming Teen Health Forum set for Feb. 12. The forum will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Riceboro Youth Center. LeCounte said bullying and childhood obesity will be addressed at the forum.
For more information on the Teen Health Forum, call Project Reach at 912-977-3951.