Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s 11th Annual Community Health & Safety Expo

Looking to keep the community healthy in the wake of cold and flu season—and keep safe from disasters both natural and unexpected—Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) hosted its 11th Annual Health and Safety Expo over the weekend. Colton residents and those nearby who attended were able to visit a host of vendors for health and safety tips as the cooler weather sets in. Vendors included insurance companies, medical colleges and universities, CPR stands, healthy food and diet vendors and more. Visitors flooded the ARMC campus to take advantage of the information being given, with the most popular booth being the free health screening and flu shot tents. Community organizations like the Colton fire and police departments were also on site to share a little bit about what they do to keep the community safe and protected. Fire and police vehicles were also on display for learning opportunities; children were instructed in the vehicles’ purposes. Photo opportunities with fire and police members were also a highlight. “The best part of being able to be here with the Fire Department is seeing all these little kids running around and get excited over the fire trucks and police cars. I enjoy teaching them [about] what I do as well,” said one Colton Fire Explorer, Claire Kelly. Cristy McCaslin, who has attended this event annually, looked on as her 4-year-old son, Aiven, received a tour of the fire truck by Colton firefighter Aaron Mulhall. “This health and safety expo is a must every year with this kid,” McCaslin said with a chuckle. “He is absolutely fascinated by fire trucks and can never [quiet] about one day becoming a firefighter himself. That’s why I love this event so much, because it gives Aiven a fun time. At the same time, it’s also nice walking around the variety of set ups. Every time I come, I learn something new about health that I never knew before.” Many children also enjoyed practicing with fire extinguishers and received some safety training. Though the event ran smoothly, event organizers explained the long hours of planning and execution required to host it. “It takes a lot of dedication and teamwork,” Dr. Geoff Schroder, a nursing instructor at San Bernardino College, said. “It is coordinated with volunteers from a variety of schools such as San Bernardino Valley College, West Coast University, Concord Career College, and many other colleges. All these schools worked with the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, who put together the entire event. The event would not have been possible without the help of the community, agencies and support from people.” Among the university and college volunteers and ARMC employees were many community volunteers donating their services and time. CPR-certified and recurrent event volunteer Todd McMeans said, “I get to teach people methods that can be very useful in an emergency. Who knows? The lessons I provide them with today might end up helping them save lives in the future. Just thinking about that brings a smile to my face.” A virtual dementia tour, a bounce house and raffle opportunities were also some highlights of the event, with the goal being for event organizers to stress the importance of health and the necessity of improving residents’ health. To exemplify the importance of community health events, ARMC neurosurgeon Jerry Noel said, “The goals of this event have always been to raise awareness. We have always used it as our way to make people aware of many risk factors concerning many different health issues such as high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, and, ultimately, possibly prevent the manifestations of any of those diseases. We want to prevent people from coming to the hospital. I really hope people leave the event with some knowledge and awareness concerning their health so they can make better decisions and live a better, healthier lifestyle.” [END] Annual Health & Safety Expo Date: Saturday, October 19, 2013 Time: 8:00 a.m. Google Map Event Location: ARMC Address: 400 North Pepper Ave., Colton CA 92324 Description: Thru 2 p.m. Press Release: Family health, family safety, and family fun – all at ARMC’s Annual Health & Safety Expo! Rain or shine, the public is invited to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center’s 11th Annual Community Health & Safety Expo which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. An exciting trauma demonstration with the “jaws of life,” private physician consultations, used syringes collection, and a host of health and/or safety related exhibitors will be available. The Expo will be staged on the ARMC campus located at 400 North Pepper Avenue in Colton, immediately north of the I-10. Individuals interested in free health screenings are advised to arrive at the Expo prior to 1:30 p.m. New this year: continuous hands-on live flame/fire extinguisher practice; radKIDS (resist aggression defensively) safety training for 4-12 year olds; continuous hands-only CPR training; and a virtual dementia tour. Returning features include free teddy bears for the first 300 children who complete their health screenings; trained macaw “Officer Byrd” on stage with Stranger Danger tips; “DUI goggles” to try while walking or driving; and cleaning expert Cory Chalmers from A&E’s TV show “Hoarders.” A bounce house, free snacks, and raffle prizes complete the activities. The health screenings being offered help to assess health risk factors, including those which contribute to the obesity epidemic impacting San Bernardino County families. The safety demonstrations provide valuable lessons for both children and adults on how to avoid serious injury and prevent becoming either an emergency room or Burn Center patient. The ARMC Expo is just one aspect of the hospital’s continuing effort to improve the health and safety of the community and it is a free public service open to one and all. It is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about good health and safety practices, and it makes for an enjoyable family outing. For more information, please call 909-580-1000, or visit the ARMC web site at www.arrowheadmedcenter.org ORIGINAL ARTICLE: In this germ invested world it’ always nice to have reminders here and there just as the Arrowhead Regional Medical Center provided the community with this past Saturday. This past Saturday, Colton residents and surrounding communities were able to enjoy a great morning filled with knowledge, facts, warning tips that helped in health related issues or safety.The event went from 10AM-2PM and did really well in providing the community with health insight and stressed the importance of following through with safety tips. AS the event began health/safety related exhibitors began setting up there stands, creating a variety of options for people to learn about different things. There were insurance companies set up, medical colleges/universities, CPR stands, food companies advocating balanced food diets, foundations that provided awareness for certain health related causes and much more. People flooded the ARMC campus to get a look and learn from the many tents set up; it was really all a big learning center. Among the most popular and most impacted tents of the day there were the free screening and flu shot tents that had been set up for the community by ARMC. Countless of people lined up to get their free screening or flu shots as it was a great opportunity that people took advantage of. T But those opportunities were not the only highlight of the day, especially with children running around the entire ARMC campus. The Colton Fire Department as well as the Colton Police Department were there sharing their professions, explaining safety procedures, and, as a kid at the event yelled out, showed off their “cool” cars. Children enthusiastically lined up near a firetruck or police car to get a chance to touch the car, learn of its functions, and eventually get a picture with the brave firemen and policemen. “The best part of being able to be here with the fire department is really seeing all these little kids running around and get excited over the firetrucks and police cars. It’s so cute. And I enjoy teaching them of what I do as well,” firefighter of the Colton Fire Department said with a big smile on her face. Cristy McCaslin, who has attended this event annually, happily watched her 4-year old future firefighter son, Aiven, eagerly receive a tour of the firetruck by Colton Fire DEpartment firefighter, Aaron Mulhall. “This health and safety expo is a must every year with this kid,” MCCaslin said with a chuckle. “He is absolutely fascinated by fire trucks and can never shut up about one day becoming a firefighter himself. And so, that’s why I love this event so much, because it gives Aiven a fun time. At the same time, it’s also nice walking around the variety o set ups. Every time I come learn something knew about health that I never knew before, so it’s pretty awesome.” Exploring the firetrucks and police cars were not the only “cool” things available to children. Many children also enjoyed practicing with a flam/fire extinguisher and receive safety training. Many children engaged in these activities with a positive attitude, smiles, and laughs. While this event was a total success, it was not an easy task creating it. “It takes a lot of dedication and teamwork,” Dr. Geoff Schroden, medical professor at San Bernardino College said. “It is coordinated with volunteers from a variety of schools such as SAn Bernardino Valley College, West Coast University, Concord Career College, and a multiple other colleges from the year. All these schools worked with the the Arrowhead REgional Medical Center who actually put together the entire event. DEspite all the teamwork of all the different colleges, the event really would not have been possible without the help of the community, agencies, and support from people.” Sure enough, the support of people for this evident was highly evident. Amongst the university/college volunteers and Arrowhead REgional Medical Center employees there many community volunteers helping out at the event as well. CPR certified and recurrent community volunteer of the event, Todd McMeans, said,”It’s really nice volunteering for this event. I get to teach people of methods that can be very useful in an emergency. Who knows, the lesson I provide them with today might end up helping them save a life in the future. Just thinking that brings a smile to my face.” The activities at the ARMC event did not end with the exploration of firetrucks, CPR training, learning from a variety of different tents, or receiving free health screenings/flu shots. In fact, the activities seemed to pile on; there was no room for anyone to be bored. There was always something to do which ranged from winning free teddy bears, to participating in a virtual dementia tour, to jumping in the bounce house! These fun activities were provided specifically for the community by the Arrowhead Regional Medical CEnters in partnership with a variety of universities around the area to stress the fact that health is important and that improving health in the community must always be a goal. There was no better to emphasize this idea than by putting on an extravaganza like this for the community by providing them with good health and safety practices, and at the same time making it an enjoyable family outing. Not only did this event stress important ideas, but it also reassured the people of the community that the medical department cares for their personal health just as much as they do. To show just how important health events are, ARMC neurosurgeon Jerry Noel, said, “The goals of this event have always been to raise awareness. We have always used it as our way to make people aware of many risk factors concerning many different health issues such as high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, and ultimately possibly prevent the manifestations of any of those diseases. WE want to prevent people from coming to the hospital. I really ope people leave the event with some knowledge and awareness concerning their health so they can make better decisions and live a better, healthy lifestyle.” It’s events like these that make this germ infested world a less of a danger and opens eyes to the good in the world. ________________________________________