Good fair, good health

   Organizers of the HealthWise health fair decided to offer something on a smaller scale this year. Normally the fair is held at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, and vendors from all areas of health care are invited. There are demonstrations of rehab equipment, free massages, healthy snacks and trained dogs who visit hospitals and retirement communities. And of course there are free tests and exams by doctors and other professionals from the region. The fair is open to everyone, but is particularly designed for people who don’t have health-care coverage and need to have their eyes examined and their bone density checked.

This year’s fair, organized by Sharon Hospital and Noble Horizons, was supposed to be a smaller affair, with only essential tests. Even at 10 a.m., two-thirds of the way through the three-hour event, the hallway at Noble was lined with men and women of all ages waiting to have their feet checked, their blood tested for everything from diabetes to high blood pressure, their body fat calibrated, their teeth checked.

Members of the growing Hispanic community could opt to work with a team from Somos la Llave, the Millerton-based community health promoters (for more information, turn to Family and Friends, page A 18).

Sharon Hospital had also brought, for the first time, a special machine used to make aortic and carotid ultrasounds.

Caroline Burchfield, director of community relations at Noble Horizons, said she was especially pleased that the fair offered health care to many in the community who would not be able to afford it otherwise.

“We felt that with the economy the way it is, a lot of people really needed this fair,� she said, noting that doctors and other care providers were extremely generous with their time and services. “They were willing to stay longer. We had a dermatologist for the first time. Everyone just wants to help.�