Health fair draws hundreds

By Jennifer Grybowski
Turley Publications Reporter

BRIMFIELD -More than 200 people attended the Tantasqua Regional and Union 61 district-wide Community Health Fair, held this year at the Brimfield Elementary School May 6. The fair worked to provide a collective forum in an effort to foster health promotion and health education for the students, families and community members so that they may achieve their highest level of wellness.
“Health is academic,” Brimfield Elementary School Nurse Kate Angilly said. “If a student is healthy, they will be able to learn and better able to achieve academic success.”
Interns Katelyn Hazirjian and Mike Zollo, seniors at the high school, were the event coordinators. Both students are pursuing nursing careers.
According to Angilly, the fair project design modeled the Contextual Learning Project developed by the teachers and nurses within the Tantasqua school district under the guidance of Linda Friedman. Contextual learning projects engage students in academic work applied to a context related to their lives, communities, workplaces or the wider world. The program outlines the steps necessary for students at any age to produce a successful health fair.
Zollo explained as families enter the fair, they are provided with a questionnaire, which contains one question from each vendor. The families were asked to visit each vendor, and get the questions answered, and when they returned a completed questionnaire, they received a prize.
Zollo said the best part of coordinating the event was working with the kids. Hazirjian said the best part for her was pulling everything together.
Margo Chevers, of Wales brought her granddaughters Alyssa, 7, and Alex, 6, to the fair.
“I’m involved with the Domestic Violence Task Force, so I came to support them,” she said. “I want the kids to be exposed to stuff like this. They are having a blast. I’m really pushing for their health and safety.”
Stacey Dunn, of Brimfield, said he brought his children, Regan, 8, and Brady, 6, to the fair because his children are homeschooled and he likes to bring them to community events.
“They especially like the giveaways,” he said.
Brimfield Elementary School Speech Specialist Lori DeStefano handed out activity books, fact sheets about hearing and speech disorders and suggestions for activities to stimulate development. May is Better Hearing and Speech Month. She said 42 million Americans are affected by a communication disorder.
“This is a great opportunity to share information regarding speech, language and hearing and to create awareness,” she said. “In the elementary schools, there are a lot of language learning disabilities. Those students are at a much greater risk for reading and writing disabilities.”
Kathy Mendard, from the Compatible Canine, brought a sampling of all-natural pet products.
“It is important to promote a healthy, natural lifestyle for our pets as well as ourselves,” she said.
Representatives from the local 4-H clubs promoted activities as a way to keep healthy.
“4-H is a good youth program,” Rose Plomgren said. “It keeps you busy and there are a lot of hands-on activities.”
Representatives from Baystate Mary Lane Hospital came equipped with information about nutrition and exercise.
“We’re helping to spread the word about getting kids active and to decrease the sugar and fat in their diet,” said Michelle Holmgren, public relations and community outreach coordinator.
On that display were vials showing how much sugar or salt are in certain foods, and a jiggly five-pound brick, representing five pounds of fat. There were also many pamphlets explaining healthy food choices.
“There are things in their diet people can change to change long-term health outcome,” said Diane Tuttle, nurse education director. “And we understand that sometimes families have to stop at McDonalds, so we’re giving them better choices.”
Holland Elementary School Nurse Ruth Andrews-Bys’s display featured poison prevention tips.
“There are so many different ingredients in things today that you have to be super careful,” she said. “So many people are on medicines, that you have to be careful with kids getting into them, thinking they are candy. We’re trying to raise awareness.”
The Brimfield Fire Department was also there, with a fire truck that children could climb on. They handed out fire prevention materials and 911 magnets.
“We want people to realize we’re here, and for the younger kids to realize what to do in an emergency,” Lt. Jim Donovan said.
Candace Caputo, certified diabetes educator at Harrington Hospital had a wide array of health tips at her booth. They conducted blood sugar testing, sun damage testing and asthma testing. Children could take a healthy snack or make a sun bead bracelet, with white beads that turn colors in the sun.
WIC Community Coordinator Karen Donovan said the fair was a perfect fit for WIC, an organization focusing on good health for women and babies.
“The best way to get the word out about WIC’s benefits is to get out into the community,” she said.