Women 4 Wellness draws hundreds
Parking was at a premium during the 2016 Women 4 Wellness event May 19 at Joe McDonald Gymnasium on the Salish Kootenai College campus.
But even those with disabilities had no worries about getting to the door safely. A happy golf-cart-driving volunteer toured the parking lot and around cars to offer participants free rides to specific registration tents outside the gymnasium door.
Well organized and smoothly executed, Women 4 Wellness organizers opened SKC doors for scores of health and wellness programs, charities and businesses to showcase their products, services and to give away thousands of dollars worth of free medical care.
St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson ate up most of a cafeteria space with medical professionals that offered free outreaches.
Julie Cross, a participant at the St. Joseph Medical Center blood panel booth, took advantage of the opportunity to check up on her health with a free blood draw and analysis.
Laura Clairmont, St. Joseph Medical Center certified medical assistant stood watch over a row of professionals drawing blood.
Each station was manned with an employee whose expertise was to make the blood draw as painless and efficient as possible.
Certified Medical Assistant Ben Garrison drew necessary blood from Cross.
Each participant’s donation will be analyzed for potential markers that might suggest a variety of medical problems like anemia and diabetes.
Once hospital staff coagulates their results, they will send a letter to those whose numbers appear normal, and a phone call to anyone with a potential health issue, Clairmont said.
Across from the blood draw station, two new medical physicians stood by to meet the community.
A group of Nesting Place Birthing Center employees showcased announcements of new life in the world.
Near the staircase that descends to the gymnasium floor, two compassionate, understanding representatives from Safe Harbor Domestic Violence Center waited for those who needed to talk.
Executive Director DeeAnn Richardson said the group is present in Lake County to help anyone associated with domestic violence regardless of who they are and what issue they face.
Safe Harbor has a wide variety of services that include a safe house and free support group services held at Polson’s United Methodist Church every week to help those who struggle with this problem cope.
Downstairs, Salish Kootenai College professionals opened their doors, offering a loving, safe place to participants who might want dental, hearing, diabetes, kidney, physical therapy, patient and elder care services.
Among the college professionals, a large contingent of medical professionals offered their services as well.
Along the back wall of the gymnasium, near the Montana AARP booth, St. Luke Registered Dietitian Mackenzie Stark served free bright green health drinks laced with vitamins, minerals and fruit juice to happy customers.
At the other side of the room, volunteers from a Helena marathon gave away 2015 t-shirts to advertise its 2016 run flanked by the corner table where Polson’s Cara Harrop, a St. Luke Community Clinic family practitioner and a group of other medical doctors and nurses provided free exams to check for skin cancer and provide pap smears for free. And in between those two borders, rows and rows of free help waited, professionals talked, laughed and gave away their product, knowledge and love to the community.