Logan County Community Health Fair: 'Getting Healthy by Leaps and Bounds'

[March 20, 2012]  The Logan County Community Health Fair is encouraging area residents to "Get Healthy by Leaps and Bounds" this year. Through screenings, programs and the participation of over 60 health and social service organizations at the local, state and regional level, the Community Health Fair continues to promote and educate area residents on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. This year's Logan County Community Health Fair will be on March 31, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Lincoln Park District sports complex, 1400 Primm Road. All activities, programs and collections will be on-site unless otherwise noted.

The Community Health Fair will offer the public numerous health screenings, including blood pressure, pulse oximetry, bone density, hearing, oral and skin cancer screenings, and body fat calculations. Cholesterol and hemoglobin screenings will be provided at a nominal cost. Nitrate screening for well water, child fingerprinting and a blood drive sponsored by the Central Illinois Community Blood Center will also be available. Nonperishable food items will be collected for donation to local food pantries. Peggy's Place will also be on-site to provide healthy food choices for purchase during the health fair. Additionally, the health fair will again offer residents the opportunity to recycle a variety of different items in an environmentally friendly and responsible manner.

The State Bank of Lincoln will sponsor a confidential on-site paper shredding program at this year's Community Health Fair. The shredding program will offer residents the opportunity to have items such as financial records, old tax returns and other sensitive household records shredded and destroyed in a secure and confidential manner. Proper disposal of these sensitive items may prevent individuals from becoming the victim of identity theft. The paper-shredding program will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon on March 31 in the front parking lot of Lincoln Community High School.

There will also be a glass recycling collection in the front parking lot at LCHS from 9 a.m. to noon. Only container glass will be accepted, meaning it originally contained either a food or beverage product. Participants will need to remove all plastic and metal caps and rings from the containers. All colors of glass are accepted and do not have to be sorted. The glass recycling program does not accept ceramics, dishware, light bulbs, window glass or mirrors. The glass recycling will be canceled in event of inclement weather.

Expired or unwanted medications, prescription and over-the-counter, will be accepted for disposal at an unwanted medication collection co-sponsored by the Logan County Department of Public Health and the Kroger Pharmacy. Medications must be in the original container with label, and the name should be blacked out to ensure privacy. All of the medications will be destroyed by incineration under the supervision of the Lincoln Police Department. Residents are reminded that it is no longer acceptable to dispose of any medication by flushing it down the toilet, as chemical compounds are now being detected in groundwater samples.

New, used, damaged or broken eyeglasses and hearing aids will be collected by the Lions Club for distribution to visually or hearing-impaired individuals in the U.S. and around the world.

Cellphones, working and nonworking, will be collected for donation to Sojourn Woman's Center. The cellphones will be reprogrammed and provided to victims of domestic violence for use in emergency situations.

Containers will be provided on-site at the health fair for the collection of plastic grocery bags.

Laser and ink-jet printer cartridges will be collected by Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois. Proceeds from recycling the printer cartridges will be used to supplement ongoing programs for low-income individuals, households, children and seniors.

Healthy Communities Parish Nurses will collect tabs from aluminum cans for donation to the area's Ronald McDonald House.

As always, this year's Logan County Community Health Fair offers something for everyone, whether your goal is maintain or improve your health, or to complete some spring cleaning and dispose of items in an environmentally friendly way.

For additional information on health screenings, contact Mallory Ramos of the Logan County Department of Public Health at 735-2317 or Marcia Greenslate of the Lincoln Park District at 732-8770. With recycling questions, contact Mitzi Rohlfs of the Logan County Joint Solid Waste Agency at 732-9636.

[Text compiled by the Logan County Department of Public Health, Lincoln Park District and Logan County Joint Solid Waste Agency]