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Expo emphasizes healthy lifestyles
Cabell County paramedic Dawn Streets speaks to Joseph Omasta about his heart rate during the Herald-Dispatch Health and Fitness Expo on Saturday at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.
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HUNTINGTON -- You can never learn too much.
On Saturday, 450 residents took home a wealth of knowledge from The Herald-Dispatch Health & Fitness Expo at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.
Frank and Marcia Lundy of Chesapeake were just two of the many Tri-State residents who went to the free expo to find tips and information about area health programs.
"You can always acquire new information," Frank Lundy said.
The couple said they've been attending the expo for years, and they always stock up on pamphlets to go through when they get home.
Thirty-eight vendors set up at the expo to offer screenings, giveaways and health information. Vendors included local hospitals, gyms, and many other agencies and organizations.
Dr. Jason Moore of Moore Chiropractic was busy giving chair massages on Saturday.
"We want to find potential health problems before they become worse," he said.
Moore said this year's expo also seemed busier than previous ones he's attended.
Cabell County EMS also had a table at the event, showing off some equipment and giving away items such as rulers and pencils as well as health-conscious things like blood pressure and medication cards.
Paramedic Dawn Streets said she encourages residents to keep lists of medications with them in case they ever have to be transported.
"It makes it easier when they go to a hospital if they have that," she said.
Streets said part of the reason EMS wanted to be a vendor at the expo was to meet local people, especially kids.
"So they're not scared. It's a scary thing when you call an ambulance for a child," she said.
Streets said she thought the annual expo was a great way to get many services under the same roof.
"It helps the people of the Tri-State see what's out there. There's a lot of good programs," she said.
Keri McCoy of Huntington went to the event with her family to see what she could learn.
"My fiancé has diabetes. I figured I'd see if we could find some healthy stuff," she said, adding that she was keeping an eye out for recipes.
McCoy, who is also six months pregnant, said she was looking for prenatal information, too. She said the expo was helpful because it offered healthy food alternatives as well as tips on how to keep from getting sick.
"I think it's good because a lot of people don't understand how to be healthy anyway," she said.
Her 3-year-old daughter Abby also was looking for things at the expo, but she had her eye on Halloween goodies.
On Saturday before noon, Abby McCoy carried a bag full of treats while her mom held her balloon. Abby McCoy, dressed as Sesame Street's Abby Cadabby for Halloween, was going from table to table greeting the vendors.
Many other vendors also were set up to share information about their programs on Saturday, including Marshall Community and Technical College.
Visibility was a big reason why MCTC signed up for the event, especially since the community college will soon separate from the university, said Sharon Porter, community outreach specialist for allied health programs at MCTC.
"We're trying to get the word out about that," Porter said.
Since the school also offers a lot of medical programs, attending the expo and spreading the word seemed like a natural fit for MCTC, she said.
The Herald-Dispatch also recognized the winners of its first annual Healthy Community Award, which honored a local individual, business and group for their work to improve the health of the Tri-State community.
Receiving the business award were David and Cynthia Stuart, owners of Schlotzsky's Deli in downtown Huntington, which has created new, healthy menu items unique to the Huntington location. On hand to receive the group award was Eugenia Damron, principal of Kellogg Elementary School, which has stepped up its exercise efforts with after-school dance classes, walking club and fitness initiative.
Individual award went to Pat Riley for his work in organizing the West Virginia 5K Championship Run/Walk, which attracted 500 runners and walkers and raised $4,000 for the United Way of the River Cities.
The awards were based on nominations from readers of The Herald-Dispatch and selected by a committee of newspaper staffers.
