When 76-year-old Virginia Keefer stopped at a St. Mary’s Medical Center health fair, the life she saved was not just her own – but her husband’s as well.
“I thought I was sailing through life beautifully until these young ladies at a St. Mary’s health fair completed a basic blood test and found my blood sugar was high,” said Keefer, the mother of two grown children and grandmother of one. “They suggested I take the results to my physician for some additional tests. If I had not stopped at that health fair, I might never have known I had diabetes until it was too late,” Keefer added.
Keefer is one of many people whose life has been touched by the extended arms of care at St. Mary’s Medical Center. Each year, more than 30 Health Fairs are conducted through the community – in shopping areas, places of business and churches – as a free community service to anyone interested in having their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol (among other tests) checked.
“Typically, we’ll arrange a health fair for anyone who calls and indicates their interest in having an event,” said Erin LaFon, manager of St. Mary’s Community and Employee Wellness. LaFon’s department is responsible for St. Mary’s “Wellness Today” program, which provides wellness programs and events for St. Mary’s employees as well as the community including conducting area health fairs. “The tests and education we offer covers many of the services that St. Mary’s provides. At one time or another, every St. Mary’s department will participate in a health fair. Services at the fairs include screenings for cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, skin, sleep disorders, glaucoma, osteoporosis, stroke assessments and other tests. Results are given to the participant at the event so they can follow up with their primary care doctor as necessary.”
St. Mary’s Wellness Today Program began years ago as “Healthy 55,” designed primarily for senior citizens. Further examination by the hospital staff members determined that “Healthy 55” should be expanded to provide tests and screenings for all ages – from elementary school children through adults.
“It’s a part of our culture at St. Mary’s to serve the community,” LaFon said. “If we can help someone in the beginning, as a preventative health measure, we feel like we’ve done a really good job. We function a lot like a community hospital in that regard. We have people come through the fairs all the time who don’t know they have high blood pressure, diabetes, or other problems and we’re able to get them some help before things get too bad,” said Lafon. “On one occasion we had a young man come through who had an extremely high blood pressure and we advised him to go to an emergency room right away for an evaluation by a physician.”
Virginia and “Whit” Keefer are among those who learned of health problems by testing at a Health Fair. “Virginia didn’t have any idea her blood sugar was high,” LaFon explained. “To look at the Keefers, you’d never guess they had health problems. We see those situations over and over.”
A schoolteacher for 35 years, Virginia said diabetes was never a problem in her family. After her children were grown, Keefer said she was prone to keeping sweets in the house. In hindsight, she said there were times she felt nervous or shaky and eating just a bite of something would elevate her blood sugar enough to help her start feeling fine again.
“I almost missed the St. Mary’s Health Fair that day because I just didn’t want to take the time to do it, but it only took about 10 or 15 minutes and the people were so nice,” Virginia said. “Now, my husband teases me that every time St. Mary’s has a health fair that I’m the first one in line.”
“It’s a great way to keep on top of your health – getting these screenings and finding what my numbers are – don’t just tell me I’m O.K.,” Virginia added.
With diet and medication, as well as increased exercise, Virginia has lowered her blood sugar and lost more than 10 pounds. At Virginia’s suggestion, her husband Whit had his blood tested and found he, too, had high blood sugar. Whit is also regulating his blood sugar with medication. They regularly visit the Joslin Diabetes Center Education Affiliate at St. Mary’s, where they receive education concerning diet, medication and exercise to help control their diabetes. Virginia said both are doing well now.
“St. Mary’s is very thorough and I credit them with saving both of our lives by discovering our diabetes at a health fair,” Virginia said. “My father’s friend did not control his diabetes and eventually had to do dialysis. Finding out about my diabetes now helped me realize that if I take care of it and keep it under control, I could avoid something more serious down the road.”
LaFon said some of the largest groups of people who turn out for the health fairs are those who are uninsured. “With the health fair, you don’t have to qualify. There’s no proof of salary. No one is turned away – the more the merrier,” LaFon explained.
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