Family Health Center Inc. is expounding on its mission to promote holistic health with an upcoming health fair featuring health screenings and information, along with food and family activities.

The FHC will hold the free health fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 17.

The "Day of Caring" event will include screenings for cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, behavior health and colon/rectal cancer. The FHC's various service divisions, including dental, urgent care, podiatry, pediatrics and pharmacy, will also have informational booths set up for the public.

The community can also look forward to being fed and entertained. Hot dogs, pizza and fried fish will be among the foods served. Door prizes will also be given away, while face painting, clowns, games, a slide and jump castle will be among the kid-friendly entertainment.

Barbara White, interim adult medicine coordinator, said the fair is part of the FHC's vision to promote community health by working in partnership with patients and organizations to improve health care access and eliminate health disparities.

"We have annual health fairs as well as free events throughout the year. Our health fair deals with the whole individual. We have something going on for the entire family. By having the health fair and giving back to the community, it gives the community the chance to network with employees of Family Health Centers and vice versa," White said.

The fair has the support of more than 30 vendors which have donated time, money and food, including: Minority AIDS Council; USC-Claflin EXPORT Project; HomeCare of TRMC; Lifestyle University; Select Health of South Carolina and Unison Health Care. Event sponsors include: Palmetto Health; Merck; Savita; Papa John's Pizza; Bi-Lo and Bayer.

"We partner with various agencies in our community who are willing to give back to the community. The health fairs are free in the community and to anybody who wants to participate," White said.

Debra Wright, clinical services coordinator, said the FHC especially wants individuals to follow up on their health care.

"If they don't have a provider, what we plan to do is send out letters, cards and packets to encourage them to come and use our facility and to follow up on those screenings that they have done at the health fair. We're also asking people that participate to at least bring a door prize," she said, for a raffle to be conducted at the fair.

James J. Bamberg, director of operations, said the FHC has already started a radio blitz to promote the services the state's largest community health center provides, along with its seven satellite sites.

"We have dental, urgent care, podiatry, pediatrics and a pharmacy. One day we hope to have a drive-in pharmacy ... . Right now, it's in the main lobby. We also supply medications at a reduced cost for all of our patients," Bamberg said.

Dr. Sandra Stephens, director of clinical services and chief of pediatrics at FHC, said the health fair is all about serving patients and the community, especially those who haven't been to a doctor in years or not at all. She said individuals will be better informed about the services FHC provides, including extended weekend hours for pharmacy services from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Normal hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

She said many people don't realize that walk-ins are welcome as well as patients with regular appointments.

"We want to just really get what we are, what we have and what we're all about out to the community," Stephens said.

With the health fair, the FHC is serious about promoting the organization's core values of integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence, White said.

"We care. We care about our community and our patients. We want to give back, and this is what we do when we have our health fair," she said.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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