Plenty of resources to help make for a healthier community were available during the 35th Live Well Expo on Saturday at Seymour High School’s Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium.

“The event is great,” said Candace Ellerbe, who attends each year for a blood screening.

While she attended the event organized each year by Schneck Medical Center primarily for the blood draw, Ellerbe said she learned about local health and food resources in the community.

She said the information was important to keep in mind.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery

With 68 booths, information and resources were plentiful.

There were familiar booths, including ones to test blood pressure and others for dermatology, vision and hearing screenings, and attendees saw a few new ones, too, including Clear Captions.

The device is a phone for deaf people or those hard of hearing that converts telephone conversations into text on a screen.

The CPR Connection booth also was a new addition,  explaining a little about cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillators as well as offering information for training.

The event, formerly called the Community Health Fair, is known for its offerings of health screenings, medical advice, fitness, nutrition and connecting people to community resources.

“We want to support the health of the community, and giving out information and screenings are a big part of that,” said Julie Idlewine, digital marketing coordinator for Schneck Medical Center in Seymour.

The event is open to everyone in the community. Spanish interpreters also were available.

“We just want to get people engaged and get people the opportunities and resources they need,” Idlewine said.

As in previous years, the event offered free screenings in a number of areas, including blood pressure, bone density, depression, oral cancer screenings, videoscoping of the ear and many others.

Several booths offered free information about the services they provide, and some even offered raffles and small items, such as eyeglass cleaning and repair kits.

Karen Bricker attended Saturday’s event with her family.

“I think it’s a lot of fun, and the girls love getting the stickers and coloring books,” Bricker said. “We come every year.”

One of the largest draws for the community is the blood tests, performed at a lower cost than most medical providers generally offer.

Autumne Streeval attended the event with plans to getting her blood work done, but she said she enjoys taking the entire family, too.

“The kids love all the free stuff, and I love getting formation about the health care facilities and seeing providers available, as well,” she said.

The glucose and total cholesterol portions of the test were free, while the comprehensive blood test was $35.

Last year, there were more than 370 blood draws during the event.

This year, thyroid and prostate screenings were available for $26.

Idlewine said Schneck tries to address some of the most pressing issues in Jackson County and the surrounding area, such as cardiac issues, cancer and diabetes, by providing testing. That included prostate and skin cancer testing, calcium CT scans to evaluate heart attack risk for the next five years for people and endocrinology testing to help deal with diabetes.

In addition to the booths, a number of fitness demonstrations were provided by local businesses. Representatives with Snap Fitness demonstrated a pound fitness class, which is a full-body cardio jam session, while those from Anytime Fitness discussed and demonstrated functional body weight resistance training.

Also, the Star Promenaders gave four square dancing demonstrations that involved audience participation, and Project You offered several yoga demonstrations with volunteers.

Abraham, Schneck’s therapy dog, greeted visitors to the event.

“We are just so glad people are willing to come out and get involved, both individuals and organizations,” Idlewine said.

Planning for the Live Well Expo begins in January with a review of the previous year and consideration for ways to improve the event, she said.

[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]

Any organization interested in participating in next year’s Live Well Expo may contact event coordinator Natalie Harpe at 812-524-4247.

[sc:pullout-text-end]