MORGANTOWN — On any other day you might not expect to see Mickey Mouse hanging out in the parking lot at Mon Health Medical Center, but Saturday the hospital hosted their annual Health Fair on the Mon Heath Campus.
Aside from screenings and health related info, parents could also take their kids to the Kid’s Fair where they could explore emergency medical vehicles and catch up with Disney characters and local favorite the Pittsburgh Pirates Parrott.
Kids could learn what blood is made of as well as learn the importance of hand washing. The Pediatric Lung and Asthma Center offered asthma screenings.
Karol Koast, Community Wellness Coordinator for Mon Health said that through the years the Health Fair would take place in February at the Morgantown Mall. She said this is the first time the event made its way back to campus.
“We basically are trying to have a little bit of everything we had at the mall, just here on campus. We have added a Kid’s Fair that’s down at the Medical Park building,” she said.
Koast said the Health Fair offers a little something for everyone. She said representatives from the American Cancer Society to the Attorney General’s Office and surgeons from the hospital were on hand to answer the public’s questions.
Skin cancer screenings, resources for pregnant women and other ultrasound and blood screenings were available either free or for a reduced cost. For fun, there was a Baby Crawl, a race of the fastest baby and a German Polka band offering live entertainment.
“Everybody needs to take charge of their good health, and the sooner you get started with that the better it is. Deductibles and co-pays are going up so high and if you can get free screenings or low cost screenings we’re the ones out there,” said Koast.
She said it also gets patients used to meeting doctors and other staff they might encounter later on a doctor’s visit. She said it could help people get information if someone needs to take care of a senior loved one in the future. It also offers a laidback environment for those who might not like sitting in a doctor’s office.
“This is much more laid back. You don’t get the white coat syndrome where you’re going to the doctor’s office. Here you can stop at a booth, ask a question. They’re not judging you at all. Any question is fair game here,” she said.
Koast said it always makes sense to make connections. Someone might not need a doctor today, but next week a patient might need to go to the Emergency Room or make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor.
“We are a community hospital and we want to do what we can do out there for the community. We want them to know that they are welcome here. We will provide any services that we can offer for them in the community and at the hospital. We just need to make them feel part of the family,” said Koast.
