By JAN GODWIN

Director of Public Relations, Memorial Hospital and Manor

Memorial Hospital and Manor is sponsoring two health fairs in October, for anyone in the community who would like to take advantage of low-cost blood analysis and free screenings.

Both health fairs will be held at the Cloud Livestock Facility, at 1300 E. River Road in Bainbridge. The first is a Senior Citizens Health Fair, which will be held on Thursday, Oct. 18, from 7 a.m. to noon. Anyone age 65 and older may attend, as well as individuals who have a disability that would prevent them from standing in line. A second Community Health Fair will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. for anyone 18 and older.

Both health fairs are free of charge, except for a fee of $20 for the laboratory wellness profile and a fee of $15 for the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) screening for prostate cancer. The wellness profile is a value of $328 in blood tests that include a lipid profile (cholesterol), glucose, BUN, creatinine, Hemoglobin and Hematocrit tests. The PSA test is a value of $136. Fasting is recommended for more accurate test results.

In addition to the laboratory wellness profile and PSA screening, other screenings include blood pressure check, bone density screening, pulmonary function testing, vision and glaucoma tests, and body fat analysis. Flu shots will be available at each health fair for $25 while supplies last.

Jodi Scott, laboratory manager at Memorial Hospital and Manor, said that results from the blood tests will be mailed to patients after approximately two weeks from each health fair. Participants are advised to take the report to their personal physicians for review. Preregistration forms are available on the hospital website at www.mh-m.org or at the hospital’s front lobby desk. Pre-registration forms should be turned in at least three days prior to each health fair. Completed forms may be mailed to “Jodi Scott, Laboratory Manager, Memorial Hospital and Manor, 1500 E. Shotwell St., Bainbridge, GA 39819,” or faxed to (229) 243-3329. Do not include payment with pre-registration forms.

“If pre-registration forms are not turned in at the Lab by the deadline, we are asking everyone to bring the form to the health fair with them so that there will be no delays in finding your form,” Scotts said. “Pre-registration saves time; however, participants may also complete the form at the health fair if they don’t pre-register.”

Health fairs are an excellent opportunity for people to get some of the health screenings that they may have postponed. During past health fairs, diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, glaucoma and other serious illnesses have been detected in participants, which led to proper diagnosis and life-saving treatments.

For more information about health fairs, contact Jan Godwin, Director of Public Relations, at (229) 243-6187.