CASEY GARRISON, South Korea - Soldiers and families received a large dose of information - information about a myriad of health and wellness programs in Warrior Country - during a Health Fair held in the parking lot at Casey Garrison's Gateway Club Oct. 2.
The Area I Women, Infant and Children program, American Red Cross, Tricare, Army Substance Abuse Program and the Family Advocacy Program were all there to provide information about their programs, safety risk facts and games so everyone in Warrior Country would have the opportunity to learn about their health while having some fun.
"This event is excellent for Soldiers and families because they can have fun and actually talk to doctors and nurses if they have any type of health care questions," said Capt. Michael Swanhart, public health nurse and event organizer. "I can almost guarantee that their questions will be answered here."
Among the numerous activities, Soldiers and families were able to calculate their body mass index, receive a cholesterol test, participate in a raffle for a free cardiopulmonary resuscitation course provided by American Red Cross, and also answers questions about health and wellness to determine if they are smarter than a 5th grader.
The children weren't left out either. They were given a rare opportunity to try on "beer goggles" to experience first-hand how alcohol affects the brain. They also received some physical activity by participating in jump rope and hula hoop competitions for prizes.
While there were sufficient activities to make the fair enjoyable to anyone who attended, the emphasis was on providing Soldiers and families information about the myriad of programs available in Warrior Country that they may not be familiar with.
"I don't think people are fully aware of all the programs that Warrior Country has to offer," said Jana Fullmer, American Red Cross station manager.
As an example, she cited a CPR course offered at either Casey or Red Cloud Garrison each month, and even a pet first-aid course.
"The Health Fair is a good event because not only do you have the opportunity to learn about our services in the Red Cross, but you can also learn about a lot of other services in the community as well," she said.
Swanhart said the event is intended to help Soldiers and their families improve their health and wellness, and that the medical community is available and ready to assist.
"We are here for the Soldiers and their families all the time because if a Soldier or a Soldier's family is not taken care of it impacts the mission," he said. "We're aiming to take care of Warrior Country 100 percent of the time because that's what we're here to do."
Social Sharing