The Valparaiso community was treated to a health and wellness fair presented by the Porter County Health Department on Friday, June 14. Several vendors filled Central Park Plaza to help educate all attendees.
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Porter County Health Officer Dr. Maria Stamp describes what attendees expected at the event.
“This is our inaugural Health and Wellness Fair,” Stamp said. “We hope to be able to do this every year. There are many opportunities for people to stop by and see what is happening in Porter County while learning about health and wellness. “We want people to know what resources are available here.”
Porter County Health Department Administrator Carrie Gschwind shares how the concept for this health and wellness fair came about.
“We wanted to create a family-friendly idea to bring people together and check out the resources of our community partners in the county,” Gschwind said. “The idea is to provide everything necessary to ensure that everyone is healthy during the summer, especially children before they have to return to school in the fall.”
In addition to educating attendees, they were offered the opportunity to receive free and low-cost health screenings. This includes preventive heart screenings, immunizations, blood pressure checks, dental exams, vision exams, and back-to-school physicals.
“The cardiac screenings offered are done in partnership with the Zac Mago Foundation,” Gschwind said. “They are donating the screenings for each year that the foundation runs and we will donate the rest of the ones made today. We have sports physicals that are graciously donated by Health Link and its partnership with the Northwest Health Family Medicine Residency Program.”
While the fair provided several ways for people to learn more about health and wellness, they were provided with several fun games and activities. The fair included a food truck alley, free haircuts, face painting, and lots of school supply giveaways.
“We have a DJ who came to play amazing music for everyone,” Gschwind said. “We have some of our staff dressed up as SpongeBob SquarePants, followed by a virus and a vaccine. “The splash pad is open to kids, so it’s an amazing way to celebrate for people of all ages.”
The Porter County Health Department strives to engage with the community. Events like this are the best way for you to meet so many faces who want to know more about these resources.
“Public health is a little different than what people typically think of when they think about health care,” Gschwind said. “Our focus is on people’s total wellbeing and ensuring basic needs are met is important to ensure people can focus on their clinical needs. “That’s why it’s very important for us to get out here and do this type of health promotion, building these connections within the community.”
Ultimately, this inaugural health and wellness fair could not have been possible without all of the vendors who came out to showcase what they have to offer at Central Park Plaza.
“We have over 40 community partners who joined us to make this health fair come together,” Stamp said. “There are several wonderful programs and excellent resources in Porter County. We couldn’t be more grateful for our community partners and the fantastic work they do. “We are all doing everything we can collectively to make sure our county residents can leave here with the information and resources they need.”
For more information about the Porter County Health Department, you can visit their website. If you attended the health fair, the Porter County Health Department values your feedback. Click the following link to complete a short survey: pol
