Even teddy bears will get checked at annual wellness fair

SEARHC has organized its annual wellness fair for Saturday morning, Oct. 19, and medical care will not be limited to just people.

The Teddy Bear Clinic will be open for children to bring in their favorite plush animals. Health care professionals will guide kids to check out their own animals, using a stethoscope to listen to the heartbeat and breathing, a blood pressure cuff and thermometer.

It’s an opportunity to get children familiar with checkup procedures and instruments, getting them to feel more comfortable for when they are the patient, explained Carly Allen, hospital administrator at the Wrangell Medical Center.

“The Teddy Bear Clinic is a classic for us,” she said last week.

The wellness fair, which SEARHC has run for several years after taking over the event from others, is scheduled for 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Nolan Center. The fair is free, though there is a charge for people who want to get blood tests.

SEARHC and several community organizations will have health and wellness information booths at the fair, including the health care provider’s own team providing demonstrations on healthy and safe eating and food preparation, Allen said.

Flu shots will be available, but not COVID boosters. Anyone interested in a COVID vaccination shot needs to call the medical center to schedule an appointment, 907-874-7000.

Wellness fair attendees can sign up for a “Passport to Wellness” competition for a chance to win a bike — one for an adult and one for a child.

The cost for the blood test is $150, payable at the fair by cash, check or credit card, and people need to fast for at least eight hours before the test — nothing but water or black coffee — Allen said. People can pre-register if they want their blood drawn between 7 and 10 a.m., or they can walk in without a reservation between 10 a.m. and noon.

Call 907-874-7000 to pre-register, or go to searhc.org/wellness-fair-registration.