ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
This Saturday, Artesian Valley Health System and the Meade County Health Department are giving everyone a chance to have a variety of lab and imaging tests and immunizations done at discounted costs, with some provided at no costs.
The Meade County Health Fair is scheduled to run from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Meade District Hospital, and AVHS Marketing Director Crystal Torres said a variety of free and discounted tests.
“One of the tests they can get is an H. Pylori, which detects infections in the digestive track caused by bacteria,” she said. “We will be offering that one for $60. They can also get their blood type for $5. We will be offering Vitamin D for $40, and that measures the level of Vitamin D in your blood.”
For $20, men can get a prostate screening analysis to check for possible prostate cancer, and Torres said for $20, women can get a CA-125, which measures the amount of protein cancer antigen in the blood, and a Hemoglobin A1C for $10, which monitors long-term glucose control with a three-month average.
A package of tests including CMP, CBC, TSH, LIPID and MAG will be offered for $50.
“That measures a lot of different things like iron deficiency anemia, thyroid function, cholesterol, magnesium, glucose levels, kidney and liver function and electrolyte and fluid balance,” Torres said.
This year’s health fair also features imaging tests, and Torres said these are provided by appointment only.
“We will be doing our DEXA Scan for $50, which measures calcium and other minerals in your bones, and the coronary calcium scan for $50, which looks for calcium deposits in the heart arteries,” she said.
MCHD will offer immunizations for TDaP, as well as RSV for those 60 and older, Shingrix for 50 and older and high risk pneumonia for 65 and older at a discounted rate.
Through Wednesday, Torres said people can pre-register for the health fair to beat the lines.
“Patients are allowed to call from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 620-873-2141,” she said.
For those unable to make it to Saturday’s health fair, Torres said this year, early testinging is available at MDH from 8 to 11 a.m. Thursday and Friday.
“They can get their labs done on that day,” she said. “They just wouldn’t be able to get any of the free tests we offer on the day of the health fair.”
AVHS’s Dr. Andrew Schowengerdt will also provide free skin lesion examinations.
“He will also have a booth with educational material on skin cancer prevention,” Torres said. “We also have a couple of community organizations who will set up booths to present their services that day as well as some people from outside the community – Mosaic and Hospice of the Prairie.”
As always, Torress said everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity the health fair provides.
“We discount the lab tests our business offers that, as we see many calls for patients who want to pre-register,” she said. “They always enjoy conversing with new patients and making the process as smooth as possible. Our laboratory department is also ready and prepared. Many of our lab technicians have been with us 15 years and more, so they’re really familiar with the process and can easily perform all the duties on that day.”
While people can take advantage of early testing Thursday and Friday, Torres said tests are not generally available at the costs they will be this weekend after the health fair.
“We generally don’t do that,” she said. “There have been in the past some people who have been sick on that Saturday or couldn’t make it a day. They’ve contacted our lab department, but we typically don’t do that.”
Torres said there is a quick turnaround for people to see the results of the tests they get Saturday.
“Typically by the week after the health fair, we’re printing and mailing people their results,” she said. “They should receive them no more than two weeks after the health fair as long as we get them printed quickly and out the door. They should receive them a few days after that.”
Torres said results are mailed to all who are tested at the health fair, and they can choose to bring the results to either one of AVHS’s providers or their own primary care provider.
The COVID-19 pandemic has lessened in recent years, and with that, Torres said the number of people coming to the Meade County Health Fair has picked up since then as well.
“Last year, we did see the numbers increase from the previous year because of COVID, but this year, we’re seeing with pre-registration numbers, they’re increasing from the year before,” she said. “People are getting more comfortable being out in public around others. We’ve had 200 plus. I think we had a little more than 200 last year. We hope we see more this year.”
Torres said the health fair continues to be a success year after year primarily because of the experience of the people who make it possible.
“Many of our lab technicians have been with us 15 years or more,” she said. “They are very familiar with the process. Our lab director, our radiology director, our business office staff, they’ve been with us for several years. They all know the process.”
This experience, Torres said, sees planning starting a few months before the event takes place.
“We’re already meeting, and everybody is so familiar,” she said. “We have those people with us for so many years, and everybody knows the ropes and what to expect and what their duties will be that day. I would say it takes a good team, and we have that team because we have people with so many years.”
Torres said having lab tests available at discounted rates is just part of what makes the health fair important.
“Health care has been very hard for some insurances to approve of some tests,” she said. “Sometimes, they don’t cover as much as people want. It’s a good opportunity to come and get a test like a hemoglobin for $10. That’s a huge deal. That’s not close to what you would get it if you were to come in as a regular patient and see a provider and run it through your insurance.”
Just as the number of people coming to the Meade County Health Fair has increased in recent years, Torres said so too has the area from which those people come.
“These past couple of years and especially last year, we’ve seen an increase of patients from Oklahoma, a lot from Forgan and Beaver, and we do have several patients who will come in from Liberal, Dodge City, Minneola, Montezuma, Plains,” she said. “We reach out. There is a pretty good surrounding area. We’ve definitely seen an increase from Oklahoma.”
Torres said those who choose to pre-register can do so by calling 620-873-2141, and she added payment is due at the time of the call.
“They’ll pay there, and when they come in on Saturday, they won’t have to stand in line and wait to go through registration,” she said. “They would simply go to the booth. You go there, you give them your name, they give you your file, and you would go straight to your tests.”
