Health fair draws hundreds to SKC
Rose Bear Don’t Walk, right, donates blood for a study researching the affect genetics have on how women respond to breast cancer therapy during the Women 4 Wellness Health Fair on May 18. (Brett Berntsen/Lake County Leader)
Cathy Lisowski, left, of Summit Fitness shows a grip strength tester to visitors at the Women 4 Wellness Health Fair on May 18. (Brett Berntsen/Lake County Leader)
Hundreds of health-conscious residents filled the Joe McDonald Gym at Salish Kootenai College during the Women 4 Wellness Health Fair on May 18. (Brett Berntsen/Lake County Leader)
Students at the Salish Kootenai College Nursing program checked the vitals of visitors during the Women 4 Wellness Health Fair on May 18. (Brett Berntsen/Lake County Leader)
From mammograms to massages, the ninth annual Women 4 Wellness Health Fair drew hundreds to the Joe McDonald Gym at Salish Kootenai College last week with a variety of free and low-cost medical services.
“There’s a little bit of everything,” said Sheena Madsen, education director at the Lake County Public Health Department.
Designed to promoting health awareness in Lake County and the Flathead Indian Reservation, the fair featured professionals from across the medical fields.
One of the more popular stations sought volunteers to participate in a study testing how genetics influence how women respond to a common treatment for breast cancer.
Professor Erica Woodahl, of the University of Montana’s Skaggs School of Pharmacy, which is conducting the study in collaboration with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Department, said the early results have found 10 percent of CSKT women do not respond well to the drug tamoxifen.
“That can be very useful information,” she said.
By collecting blood samples and other data, Woodahl and her colleagues hope to expand their study to include dietary factors as well.
“People really do get interested because it relates back to them,” said Michael Finlay, a researcher on the project who was working to sign up willing donors at the fair.
At a neighboring booth, Paul Phillips, coordinator of the SKC Community Health and Development Project, was informing parents on a summer camp designed to teach kids healthy, active lifestyle choices.
He said sparking a passion in the younger generation is key to promoting health among the local community.
“A lot of kids in our programs learn to swim for the first time, or see their first bear,” he said.
Also touching on the benefits of exercise, Cathy Lisowski of Summit Fitness, which recently opened a medical fitness center in Polson, hosted a booth offering grip strength tests as a way for participants to assess their overall physical condition. She said the health fair serves as a good way for people to learn about services in the community.
While turnout was strong at the event, participants noted that crowds seemed to move fluidly from booth to booth.
Madsen attributed this to the new policy of pre-registration, which helped pace the influx of attendees.
”There’s not just one big herd,” she said. “Everybody’s been moving slow and steady.”