High Turnout At Health Fair

Dee Myers never felt threatened by diabetes.

There was no urgent need to visit her doctor and take a glucose test.

She attended a health fair in the past and decided then to take a screening. It was free and available.

When she learned of the results, her perspective changed.

"I think having this is wonderful," she said of the fair. "Once I found out it was so high, I started checking my blood sugar regularly."

She was one of the more than 1,000 people who attended the fourth Annual Hernando Community Health Fair, which took place Saturday at the Brooksville Elks Lodge.

They had a variety of free screenings to choose from, including cholesterol, vision and blood pressure.

In all, there were more than 70 vendors at the fair, which is the highest ever. Some had to set up their booths outside the venue.

The one section of the health fair that has been on the decline is the number of those seeking flu shots. That has more to do with the increased availability of the vaccine. More and more doctor's offices and businesses have been offering them.

"Flu shot availability is definitely more rampant," said Ann-Gayl Ellis, a spokeswoman with the Hernando County Health Department. "There just aren't as many people getting them here this year ... There's no shortage."

Whether it was diabetes, cataracts or laser-hair removal - if someone had any sort of health-care question, it likely could have been answered by someone inside the Elks Lodge building.

Lorraine Overle, of Hudson, planned to spend Saturday with her friend in Spring Hill. They both decided to start the day at the Health Fair.

"I found out my cholesterol is lower," she said with a big smile.

Overle and her friend stood in line outside to sample what was available among the food vendors.

"They really need to bring this to Hudson," she said.

Some vendors decided not to stick with only one form of health care.

Dr. Mary Newport, of Spring Hill Regional Hospital, was passing out literature on Alzheimer's disease one minute and then discussing Hernando County's high rate of pulmonary and heart disease the next. She and others have linked the latter to the number of lime rock roads in the area.

One representative from the Health Department was answering questions about diabetes awareness while another was fielding questions about local smoking cessation programs.

Brooksville Regional Hospital representatives were discussing the new sleep lab while people were getting their cholesterol screenings a few feet away.

The first couple hours of the fair had hundreds of people packed into the Elks Lodge building. The air conditioning was on, but the doors were open, allowing the hot air to flow inside. That, coupled with the herd of people inside, caused temperatures to soar. Many were waving hand-held fans.

As a result of the conditions indoors, there were long lines of people outside the food and drinks tent throughout the morning and afternoon.

In spite of the heat, the attendance numbers remained high. Shortly after the midway point, more than 700 people filed through the main entrance. Hundreds more had entered through the rear, where the food vendors and live entertainment were located.

"This one was definitely the most successful in terms of the number of people who wanted to be involved," Ellis said. "This year, everything just kind of fell into place."