With age comes a myriad of aches and pains, increased risks and wrinkles, and many other health problems that make you think about taking better care of yourself. When thinking about taking control of your health and making improvements in your lifestyle, health screenings are a good place to start. Health screenings and routine testing make it possible to prevent common diseases or to detect them early when they are more easily treated. There are many basic types of health screenings that only take a few moments, such as blood pressure checks, body mass index (BMI) test or lab work (with a simple finger prick) to check blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Most of us acknowledge if we are overweight, but often we don’t realize the extent of our weight problem until the body fat percentage or body mass index registers. Those numbers are a good indication of whether we’re at a healthy weight or unhealthy weight, whether it be slightly overweight, obese, or underweight. Often high blood pressure and high cholesterol have no symptoms at all, but they are both serious risk factors for heart disease. Screenings to detect these problems may save your life. If you can identify a problem, you can follow up with a physician and get the proper care and treatment that you need. Even if you are within healthy ranges, knowing your baseline gives you an idea of where you stand and gives you a comparison for future screenings. It’s clear that taking advantage of basic health screenings can give you important information about your health.

All of these basic screenings and more will be offered at Sampson Regional Medical Center’s first annual Care Fair to be held at The Center for Health + Wellness on Saturday, Oct. 8. There will be a small army of health professionals – doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, fitness specialists - on hand that day to assist you with these screenings along with other healthcare needs. SRMC pharmacists will be available to help you understand how to manage your prescription drugs. Physical therapists from the Outpatient Rehabilitation Center will be on hand to analyze your gait and check your feet. From there you can talk to athletic, diabetic shoe, and orthotics experts about caring for your feet and proper footwear. Have an aching back? A massage therapist will be on hand giving short massages and showing the benefits of massage therapy. For women, there will be bone density screenings to help you recognize if you may be at risk for osteoporosis. SRMC nurses will be there with helpful information about breast care and mammography. Specifically for men, Sampson Urology Associates will offer prostate screenings. And, Clinton Urgent Care will be onsite giving flu shots to keep you well this flu season ($20 cash only). At the Care Fair, you’ll also find interesting advice about how to manage diabetes, keep your heart healthy, and how to breathe and sleep easier. You may even pick up a new healthy recipe after tasting a delicious health food sample, prepared by SRMC’s dietary staff.

If you want to simply help someone else, you can give a much needed blood donation at SRMC’s mobile blood bank.

Being aware and involved in your own health is vital to living a long and healthy life. The Care Fair is a unique opportunity to have many experts under one roof, ready and willing to help you. Take advantage of this; it is a perfect time and way to start improving your health.

The Sampson County Partners for Healthy Carolinians is open to anyone who wants to live a healthier life style. To find out more visit our website at www.scpfhc.org or contact Sharon Smith at SFSmith@capefearfarmcredit.com, Judi Nicholson at 910-299-4906 or Nicholsonjk@CityofClintonNC.US , Veronica Murphy at 910-593-1131 ext 4239, Casey Stevens at 910-592-7161or the Center for Health and Wellness at 596-5400.

(Editor’s note: Robin Palmer is the director of Healthy Lifestyles for Sampson Regional Medical Center.)