Quesnel Health Expo - Sat March 31st

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Do you have questions about your health? Want to know about local services?

Find out the answers at the Quesnel Health and Community Services Expo, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday March 31st at the Quesnel & District Arts and Recreation Centre. Visitors will be able to sign up for comprehensive health screenings, listen to talks by experts, or ask questions about improving health and wellness at a number of exhibitor booths.

This year, the Quesnel Child, Youth and Family Network joins a partnership between Leisure Services and Northern Health to expand the Expo to include more information about local community services.

"The Quesnel Child, Youth and Family Network believes that health can be measured in many ways. We are proud to be a part of this Expo so we can share with the community the wide spectrum of services that our Network partners have to offer," said Patty Kimpton, Network Chair.

"The Expo provides our community with comprehensive health screenings and health and wellness information at a convenient location," said Diane Rogers, Leisure Services Recreation Manager. "This is a great opportunity for all of us to get our loved ones to have a screening and spend some time learning about how we can improve our health."

Visitors can sign up for Northern Health's Comprehensive Health Improvement Screening Clinic with registered nurses and a physician. This year Northern Health has revised their screening program. Along with heart health risk screening which includes onsite blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose testing, and screening for lifestyle risks, they have added goal setting and a complete health check up using an evidence-based, confidential and secure web-based program. The web program will give you a tool for health maintenance for your lifetime. Anyone can sign up but people over 40 or who have a family history of heart disease or diabetes are encouraged to sign up. A $10 fee covers the cost of the cholesterol/blood glucose test.

According to Margie Wiebe, Primary Care Nurse and Primary Health Care Developer from Northern Health, "There is no substitute for having your own family doctor and getting regular checkups, but the Quesnel Health Expo can supplement your personal health maintenance through low-cost risk screenings because early detection is the most important factor for reducing heart attacks and for improving outcomes for all health conditions."

Presentations will include Self-Care for the Caregiver by the Alzheimer's Society of British Columbia at 1 p.m. and a Healthy Cooking Demonstration by the Complete Health Improvement Project (CHIP) Program at 2 p.m. For more information, or to register for Northern Health's Comprehensive Health Improvement Screening, please contact 250-992-8200. More details are also available at www.facebook.com/activeliving.quesnel.