It’s that time of year to take advantage of low-cost lab work, and to make sure your health is on track, by attending the annual Prowers Medical Center health fair. Mark your calendars for May 8-10. Attending the health fair is a step towards new habits and improved health.

When caught early, many conditions can be halted or controlled before they become serious. If you catch a lingering problem, you can take steps through lifestyle changes and treatment to keep symptoms manageable. If symptoms advance, they can affect how you are able to live your life.

“Take diabetes, for instance. If caught early enough, we can help patients control their sugars through diet and exercise and possibly avoid diabetes down the road,” said Dr. Hilton C. Ray, Family Medicine Physician with the Prowers Medical Center Clinic.

Blood panel results also help medical providers catch conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart conditions, liver conditions, thyroid problems, renal disease, metabolic disorders, gout, and anemia, to name a few.

“Many conditions, such as elevated cholesterol, anemia, and liver disease show up in blood work long before there are symptoms,” Ray said.

Lab results provide a great snapshot of your current health and give a good baseline for annual comparisons. The price couldn’t be better—just $25—with an added $10 fee for men desiring to include the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA).

“Just $25 provides you with a full blood panel of over 16 tests to check for many health risk factors. The discounted cost of health fair labs is very affordable during this 3-day event,” said Karen Bryant, Chief Operating Officer with Prowers Medical Center.

“I encourage my patients to attend the health fair, especially if they have a plan with a high deductible because labs would be much more expensive to purchase outright than to get at the health fair,” said Renee Weakley, FNP-C with Prowers Medical Center Clinic.

The health fair is light on your pocketbook, but heavy on extras—including several participating health partners in the community providing screens and health education. Are you thinking about starting or redesigning an exercise program? Wanting to learn how to eat more healthily? Find helpful information at the health fair.

Some of the free screenings include hearing screenings, blood pressure checks, height/weight, clinical breast exams, and others. You’ll also learn about healthcare resources in the community—both at the medical center and beyond—to help empower you to take charge of your health. Let the spirit of the event inspire you to make a healthy change!

Examples of community educational booths include: radon awareness, mosquito disease prevention, health navigators, air ambulance services, nursing home options, and EMS services. Prowers Medical Center will also have medical providers on hand from various departments to talk about their services, including Women’s Health, Pulmonary/Cardiac Rehab, Pacemaker checks, Rehabilitation services, Home Health care, Language Access services, and Patient Portal sign up. If you have a Patient Portal account, you can see your lab results quickly.

“If you are looking to make a healthy change, annual health fairs are a great time to find resources available within the community to assist you with those efforts. Healthcare professionals are on hand to answer your questions and help guide you toward a plan for good health,” Bryant said.

Plan to attend the annual Health Fair event on Tuesday, May 8th through Thursday, May 10th. The event runs between 7:00 am and 11:00 am, all three days, at Prowers Medical Center. For more information call 719.336.5147 or email karen.bryant@prowersmedical.com.