YOUR AD HERE »

South Routt health fair offers free screenings Friday

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — It’s the only health fair of it’s kind in Routt County, said Ken Rogers, district manager of South Routt Health Service District. And the plan is to make it an annual event and expand offerings.

On Friday, Oct. 11, any member of the public can get an array of free screenings — from blood pressure and lung flow to oral health and vision.

The fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Routt Medical Center in Oak Creek.



Additional screenings and lab services will be available for a fee, including colon cancer and blood chemistry.

A few months ago, the center held their first free skin cancer screening event. The turnout was better than expected, Rogers said. It was indication that more free screenings would be well received.



And some people came in who hadn’t been to a doctor in more than 20 years, he said.

Partnering with Memorial Regional Health on some of the offerings, the fair is funded and staffed by the South Routt Medical Center.

If you go . . .

What: Community Health Fair
Where: South Routt Medical Center, 300 Main St., Oak Creek
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11

 

“It’s important for us to reach out to the community,” Rogers said. “It’s becoming well acknowledged these days that it is better — and ultimately less costly — to try to be proactive with your health care than it is to be reactive with your health care.”

The center has continued to grow in terms of the number and geographic reach of patients they serve, as well as their offerings.

Partnering with Northwest Colorado Health, they’ve “stabilized” their dental practice, Rogers said, now with a dentist in residence three times a week.

They are also now offering behavioral health counseling one day a week.

“And if we find something we don’t have the ability to provide, we look to partner with someone else,” Rogers said.

They’ve recently added a new provider in Physician’s Assistant Jennifer Schmitt. She’s a local who went to school with the intent of returning to work at the center, Rogers said.

Schmitt also has an interest in specializing in pediatrics and women’s health, he said, an area of health care they’ve been working to expand.

Part of the intent of Friday’s health fair is to reach people who haven’t been in to the center before, Rogers said. Once they make it through the doors, they can discover all the resources that exist in Oak Creek.

They also may find a minor problem they can prevent from becoming major. But it most certainly isn’t just for people who have health concerns.

Healthy people are highly encouraged.

Free Health Screenings
  • Blood Pressure
  • Body Fat Skinfold
  • Breast Exam
  • Height/Weight/BMI
  • Peak Flow Lung
  • Oral Health
  • Pulse Oximetry
  • Vision and Eye
  • Nutritional
  • Medical Question/Refferal

The across the board screenings can either detect something early that requires follow up or show that a person is in good health.

“It’s easy for people to stop in a few minutes and get a couple of checks done and make sure everything’s okay,” Rogers said.

They can be proactive on any potential issues, he said, or rest easy knowing they are good until the next health fair.

Fore more information, call 970-736-8118.

To reach Kari Dequine Harden, call 970-871-4205, email kharden@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @kariharden.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.