LOIS KINDLE FILE PHOTO
Sun Towers will be providing free balance screening for visitors of the Oct. 30 Men’s Club/SCC Community Health Fair at Community Hall, 1910 S. Pebble Beach Blvd., Sun City Center. The event is open to the public.
Residents invited to giant community health fair in Sun City Center Oct. 30
By LOIS KINDLE
A group of community partners are sharing their resources to educate the public on a variety of health issues and providers in the area who can help address them.
“The Men’s Club/SCC Community Health Fair is going to be a giant event,” said Debbie Caneen, event coordinator and director of admissions for SunTowers Retirement Community. “We want to ensure residents have the tools they need to be informed consumers of healthcare services.”
Health fair partners include the Men’s Club of Sun City Center, SunTowers Retirement Community, Sun City Center Emergency Squad, South Bay Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center and Tampa General Hospital.
“We’ve been working on this since April,” said event planning chairman Vincente Lopez, Men’s Club vice president. “Our goal is to ensure residents have access to the answers they need about their healthcare concerns and to provide information on providers who can help them in their time of need.”
For example, some of South Bay Hospital’s physician experts will be at the expo, including orthopedic surgeons Anthony Infante, Robert Maddalon, Ben Lindbloom, Neil Kumar and Peter Lopez, cardiologist Ravi Khant and general and vascular surgeon Jenna Kazil. They will discuss an array of health topics throughout the event, including orthopedic conditions related to the hip, knee and shoulder, AFIB concerns and breast cancer conditions and surgical treatments, said Shannon Mitchell, South Bay Hospital’s director of marketing and communications.
LOIS KINDLE FILE PHOTO
Members of the Sun City Center Emergency Squad will offer free blood pressure checks at the Men’s Club/SCC Community Health Fair Oct. 30 at Community Hall.
The hospital will also feature exhibits on emergency services, rehabilitation, cardiac services and its new Center for Breast Health offerings.
“We look forward to participating in such a great health event that will aid the residents of Sun City Center and surrounding areas with healthcare education and services that improve the health of our community,” Mitchell said.
Physicians from the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute will present 15- to 20-minute seminars on colorectal cancer; mindfulness and health; sleep disturbance in cancer patients and survivors; health basics; and cancer prevention and early-screening guidelines.
And Tampa General Hospital will host a physician lecture during the event on “Understanding Overactive Bladder Syndrome” and staff an information table with educational resources.
“Tampa General Hospital is deeply committed to providing excellent and compassionate healthcare to the Tampa Bay region,” said Juliana Castillo, community engagement coordinator. “(We have) a specific mission to provide high-quality health education programs to encourage proactive population health, with an emphasis on prevention and wellness. The Sun City Center Community Health Fair is a wonderful avenue for (residents) to obtain health education resources with exactly that emphasis.”
Additional health service providers will include Benzer Pharmacy, Sun Terrace, Florida Orthopedic and the Medical Marijuana Treatment Clinics of Florida; Nurse on Call, Southshore Wellness, The Eye Associates and Vein Center at Erasers; and the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, Stedman Clinical Trials, Rehabilitation Hospital of Florida, One Blood Bloodmobile and Watson Clinic. Free screenings for skin cancer, blood pressure, hearing and balance will be available.
Other area service providers will also be on hand, like HealthSouth Encompass Health, Hearing Loss Association of America, Home Instead Senior Care, Southshore Coalition for Mental Health & Aging, CATE Foundation, Senior Connection, Seniors in Service, Senior Helpers and more.
There will also be lots of giveaways.
This is the first time the Men’s Club of Sun City Center has sponsored a health fair, Lopez said. However, it supports an array of ongoing health-related initiatives in the community, including the Parkinson’s Support Group, Neuropathy Resource Group, Low Vision and Diabetes support groups and Male Call for Prostate Health.
All proceeds will go to the club to cover expenses related to these and other services, like the Lifeline personal emergency response system.
The free health fair is open to the public and will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at Community Hall, 1910 S. Pebble Beach Blvd., Sun City Center, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, call Caneen at 813-892-2990, or Lopez at 727-623-1724.
