The Rotary Clubs of St. Croix will host the First Rotary Diabetes Health Fair on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Frederiksted at the American Legion on Prince Street.
Sponsored by First Bank and Aero MD, the event is part of a three-year Rotary district project on diabetes education and prevention.
Doors will open at 7 a.m. for persons interested in having their blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure tested. The organizers want to remind anyone planning to be tested that blood glucose testing is best done on an empty stomach. Light refreshments will be available after testing for those arriving on an empty stomach.
Liz Goggins of the Mid-Island Rotary Club explained the informal structure of the health fair.
“Quite often people are intimidated by doctors and are reluctant to ask questions about their health concerns. Our goal is to provide an atmosphere where people can get the information, they need to manage their diabetes more effectively and prevent the onset of diabetes if they are borderline, or pre-diabetic,” she said.
The Rotary Clubs have partnered with many local health care providers including Plessen Ophthalmology, Plessen Healthcare, V.I. Academy of Physicians Assistants, Neighborhood Pharmacy, The Heart Center, Williams Chiropractic, YAG Foundation, Paradise Chiropractic, The Virgin Islands Department of Health, nutritionist Alice Henry, The Village, V.I. Dental and Vanessa Farrell of Women’s Health Issues.
Health care professionals from these and other organizations will be on hand to provide information, referrals and answer questions in a comfortable and informal setting about the complications and effects of diabetes, including skin infections, nerve damage, foot circulation problems, kidney disease and high blood pressure. Plessen Ophthalmology will also conduct screenings for diabetic retinopathy.
A limited number of flu shots will be available, including information on diabetes immunizations and adult vaccines. For those participants who do not have diabetes but may be at risk for the disease, the Diabetes Risk Test will be available in English and Spanish.
“Oftentimes, health fairs and health care opportunities are hosted in Christiansted. We are hoping to see residents from all across St. Croix at the event on Saturday but we felt it was important to host the first one in the Frederiksted community,” said Robert Mendez, chairman of the Community Service Committee of the Mid-Island Rotary Club.
The Rotary Clubs have many goals for the Diabetes Health Fair and other related projects planned for the future.
