Free health and safety fair at Centennial Building today

There are 61 booths to better your health today in Port St. Joe.

Ranging from blood pressure tests to massage therapy demonstrations, there is a booth to address just about every health and wellness inquiry.

The Gulf County Health and Safety Fair, hosted by the Port St. Joe Rotary Club and the Gulf County Tourist Development Council, will provide an exhibition of area health and safety services and a variety of free health screenings at the Centennial Building in Port St. Joe today from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. ET.

"Our goal is to have a healthier and safer Gulf County," said Tina Pate, a Rotary Club member and also the chairwoman for the Gulf County Health Partnership. "Our goal is to provide and promote health and safety throughout Gulf County. A lot of people don't know we have these services."

The fair will offer 20 free health screenings, including blood pressure, vision, cholesterol, bone density, hearing, HIV, glucose, strength testing, pulmonary function, body mass index, oxygen, depression and more.

"Most of the screenings are going to be done by nurses," Pate said. "The diabetes, vision and cholesterol (screenings), those are always the biggest draws."

Pate said the screening results should not be mistaken for a diagnosis.

"If somebody doesn't have health insurance, for instance, it’s a great opportunity for free screenings," said Rotary member Lorinda Gingell. "You don't have to be a senior citizen to start having some of these health problems."

Gingell said the organization of the health and safety fair directly reflects the Rotary club's motto, "Service above Self."

In the safety realm, the fair will include a demonstration by Gulf County Emergency Management director Marshall Nelson on a new computer program where residents can enter their addresses and immediately find the closest health and safety resources.

The fair will also feature booths from area law enforcement, including the Florida Highway Patrol, area search and rescue groups and the Gulf County Cooperative.  

Vendors will also be offering prizes and giveaways at the fair as patrons make their way through a maze of 61 unique booths from both private and governmental health providers.

A unique stop will come at the end of the maze at the Bridge at Bay St. Joe booth, where patrons can step into the shoes of a dementia patient through a simulated "Virtual Dementia Tour."

The Bridge will transform the Centennial Building's upstairs room into a "dementia room" where subjects, with their senses skewed, will be asked to perform a series of simple tasks. The results are eye-opening, as this reporter learned last year.

The Rotary Club also welcomes snowbirds to today's health and safety fair.

Marsha Lindeman, director of the Gulf County Health Department, said during "snowbird season" the health department sees an increase in its patient population.

"These are fairs where people can come, not only people from Gulf County, but our visitors from the north who may be here for three months or more," Lindeman said. "This is a way for us to raise their awareness about the health care services we offer and remind our own citizens about the services."

Lindeman said at the health fair the health department booth is focusing on the importance of "knowing your numbers," like cholesterol, weight, BMI, blood sugar and blood pressure, for example.

The health department's booth will also feature a series of health games and prizes.

"We really have been sharpening our plan for health promotions and health awareness this year," Lindeman said. "I'm really pleased with how we're strengthening our health promotion and awareness (in Gulf County)."