Blood draw appointments will be available from 7:30-10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 12-Nov. 6 (except Nov. 2 and 3). 

The low-cost blood draws for the 37th annual Rotary Health Fair are almost finished, but the Health Fair doesn’t end Friday with the blood draws.

Remember that big one-day event at the high school with all the exhibitors? That event is happening virtually this year. My hope is Rotarians will tune in to take advantage of all the information being offered next week. This is a way to support the health fair and the exhibitors who are taking their time to provide great information to keep individuals and our community healthy, and you don’t have to leave your home to participate.

Sixteen exhibitors will present programs about their services via Facebook beginning at 6 p.m. Monday. Three to four exhibitors will be featured each evening, with the entire day’s program going until about 7:30. Programs can be accessed through the Rotary Health Fair’s Facebook page or via the website (rotaryhealtfair.org). If you can’t tune in at those times, the programs will be available to watch later on the Health Fair Facebook page and website.

While there are fewer presenters than have been available at health fairs past, those tuning in will be treated to more in-depth information, says Rotarian Van Hawkins, who has been coordinating this aspect of the Health Fair, in addition to answering the Health Fair Hotline, dealing with Health Fair vouchers, and tending to a myriad of other Health Fair details, all while working and caring for family.

Here is the schedule for next week, although be understanding because there may be some last-minute tweaks to it:

Monday:

6 p.m.: Water’s Edge, where all women and families can come before, during and after pregnancy for education and care. All services, including pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, nurse consultations, pregnancy education, parenting education resources and more, are free.

6:30 p.m.: Help Me Grow Alaska, an agency dedicated to promoting healthy child development statewide by providing support and information to individuals and organizations who care for and about children and young adults.

7 p.m.: Sprout Family Service, a private non-profit corporation with a core purpose of promoting the healthy development of children from birth to age 5. Sprout offers many resources for families, including virtual parenting classes, free developmental screenings, and virtual home visits through the Infant Learning Program.

Tuesday:

6 p.m.: Paul Seaton, former chair of the Health and Social Services and former co-chair of Finance Committee in the Alaska House of Representatives. As a legislator, Seaton advocated for better health and to lower the incidence and severity of the disease burden on Alaskans by distributing published scientific studies comparing the effect of low vs. adequate vitamin D. He continues that work today.

6:30 p.m.: Whirling Rainbow Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote community health and wellness through the healing arts. The program will emphasize the power of essential oils and frequency healing.

7 p.m.: The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, which is part of a national network of 29 reserves that are supported through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Alaska Center for Conservation Science at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Information to help the community make informed decisions about harvesting and consuming wild shellfish in Alaska will be featured in this program.

Wednesday:

6 p.m.: Rec Room, a safe place for teens to socialize with friends after school and participate in positive activities. Currently, programming is virtual or in person as appropriate due to COVID-19. The evening’s program will focus on resiliency.

6:30 p.m.: Alaska Adult Education, a grant-funded program under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act that provides free GED, ESL, College and Career Readiness, and skills for employment classes. The program is located at the Kachemak Bay Campus but serves all communities in the lower Kenai Peninsula south of Ninilchik.

7 p.m.: Assistive Technology of Alaska, the only private, nonprofit, statewide resource center that serves Alaskans of any age to help them make informed decisions about the assistive technology that best meets their needs at work, school, home or life in general. The evening’s program will feature assistive technology solutions that are available to assist individuals in connecting with friends and family over distance communication, making them feel safe cooking independently, reading or listening to their book, and much more.

Thursday:

6 p.m.: Haven House, which supports and empowers people impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault and promotes healthy families. This presentation will focus on the Green Dot program, which has been one of Haven House’s most successful strategies in violence prevention. Green Dot teaches people how to interrupt situations that are ripe for violence or bullying. It provides skill building and strategies to increase the likelihood that trained individuals will intervene to keep people safe.

6:30 p.m.: Ladies First, an organization that promotes breast and cervical cancer screening services and covers out-of-pocket costs associated with these screenings for Alaska women.

7 p.m.: Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic, which provides high-quality, low-cost, accessible reproductive and preventive health care for the southern Kenai Peninsula. The clinic offers a range of confidential clinical services for adults and teens of all genders, backgrounds and income levels. This program will focus on the importance of planning routine health care, even during a pandemic.

Friday:

6 p.m.: Guardian Flight Alaska, the leading provider for air medical services in Alaska. It offers Alaska residents air medical transport membership, providing individuals and families financial peace of mind if they need to be air transported.

6:30 p.m.: Southern Region Emergency Medical Services Council, a non-profit corporation established in 1975 to serve as a regional resource center for the emergency medical services system in southcentral and southwestern Alaska. It promotes excellence in patient care, quality management, injury prevention, and professionalism. The program will emphasize how learning the basic skill of CPR can save a life.

7 p.m.: Alaska Autism Resource Center, an agency that serves the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorders, their families, caregivers, and service providers throughout Alaska. The center provides information, referral, training, and consultation via on-site and distance delivery. The center is a project of the Special Education Service Agency located in Anchorage.

7:30: South Peninsula Hospital Diabetes Education, a program offering self-management education and support to all community members and families dealing with all types of diabetes. There is no need to be a Homer Medical Center patient to participate in the education.

All that to say, there’s a lot of information being presented next week, and Rotarians are encouraged to participate.