Health Update: Health Update: Health, exercise, and leprechauns at Community Wellness Fair – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
Melanie Herron, the Creating Healthy Communities Coordinator for the Ottawa County Health Department, teaches an exercise to six-year-old Oakley Witt at the Lucky Trails Leprechaun Hunt & Community Wellness Fair on March 7. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)
BY SHERI TRUSTY
OAK HARBOR – Local residents experienced a little luck of the Irish when they attended the Lucky Trails Leprechaun Hunt & Community Wellness Fair at Riverview Healthcare Campus in Oak Harbor on March 7. The event was hosted by the Ottawa County Health Department, Ottawa County Senior Resources, and Riverview as a way to connect residents with local resources in an environment that helped them get active.
The event was part of the Creating Healthy Communities initiative.
“It stemmed from our Active Living Subcommittee,” said Melanie Herron, the Creating Healthy Communities Coordinator at the health department. “They were looking to create opportunities for exercise and wellness, and it turned into a whole event.”
Staff from the Magruder Hospital Wound Care Center teach yoga and breathing exercises to participants at the wellness fair. Shown are, from left, Wound Care Center Director, Nehna Dearth; Wound Care Center Nurse Practitioner, Tonia Copsey; Sheri Warner; and Arlene Angyal. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)
The free event featured a scavenger hunt, community wellness booths, wellness activities, raffle prizes, and giveaways.
“The goal is for them to learn about wellness and getting active,” said Riverview Activity Director Margie Zunk.
Among the local organizations at the event was the Magruder Hospital Wound Care Center. Wound Care Center Director Nehna Dearth and Nurse Practitioner Tonia Copsey led participants through yoga and breathing exercises.
“We’re talking about movement and how the whole body is part of the healing process,” Copsey said. “Breathing works the lymphatic system and helps the body heal.”
Tina DeVanna, the Active Older Adults Coordinator at the YMCA of Sandusky County, and Patricia Gerber of Gerber Plans, LLC, which sponsors many Active Older Adults events, gave away free popcorn and other goodies at the wellness fair.
Patricia Gerber of Gerber Plans, LLC, distributed popcorn at the wellness fair. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)
The Ottawa County Health Department offered free blood glucose checks and promoted the free 60+ Senior Assessment Clinics held each month around the county. At the assessments, a registered nurse offers several services such as blood pressure screening, cholesterol screening, and medication counseling.
“There are a lot of familiar faces here at the wellness fair,” said Ottawa County Health Department Director of Nursing, Nicole Auvil. “I’m seeing a lot of people that we see at the 60+ clinics, so that’s nice.”
For more information on Creating Healthy Communities and the many programs and services offered by the Ottawa County Health Department, visit www.ottawahealth.org. For more information on Ottawa County Senior Resources, visit https://www.co.ottawa.oh.us/328/Senior-Resources.