ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
In early October, more than 1,300 people made their way to Southwest Medical Center’s 2025 Community Health Fair at the Seward County Activity Center.
The health fair also saw 2,671 free exams and screenings performed, a number SWMC Marketing and Development Director Janeth Vazquez called astounding.
Vazquez said the annual Community Health Fair is the largest of its kind in the region, with dozens of health care providers, local organizations and volunteers brought together to offer free and low-cost health services designed to help residents take charge of their well being.
With all of this in mind, Vazquez said the 2025 health fair was quite successful.
“I’m very pleased with the overall turnout of people, not just in our community, but from the surrounding regions as well,” she said. “We had people travel from as far as Lubbock, Kansas City. We had a lot of people from the Panhandle area. It’s very rewarding to know we are putting together an event that is truly saving many people’s lives.”
In total, this year’s health fair included:
• 916 lab screenings
• 303 blood pressure exams
• 137 skin cancer screenings (with 12 referred for biopsies)
• 77 clinical breast exams (with 14 referred for diagnostic mammograms/ultrasounds and 25 for screening mammograms)
• 183 vision screenings (including pediatric and field of vision follow-ups)
• 165 flu shots
•102 diabetes risk assessments
• 70 oral cancer screenings
• 183 sleep lab assessments
• 32 orthopedic exams
• Eight general surgery checkup evaluations
• 10 diabetic foot checks
•· 144 blood glucose exams (14 referred for follow-up)
• Five physical therapy screenings
Having people coming from such long distances, Vazquez said, speaks volumes to how great the health fair is.
“We have people commuting six to eight hours just to attend the health fair,” she said. “I also think it speaks to the need for health care services, not just in our region, but across the whole country.”
With inflation causing the price of everything to go up, including health care services, people are struggling to meet everyday needs such as food, gas and day care, and Vazquez said this leaves many not seeking the health care they need.
The 2025 Community Health Fair was the event’s 16th edition, with each year seemingly bigger than the last, and when it comes to growth, Vazquez said the sky is the limit for the health fair.
“It can get much bigger, and I guarantee it’s going to continue getting bigger every single year,” she said.
This was Vazquez’s fifth year coordinating the health fair, along with SWMC Marketing Coordinator Rachel Downing, and while she started out trying to perfect the logistics of the event such as limiting people’s waiting times and increasing services offered, she said her current goal is to attract more people from a wider range.
“I know there’s a need,” Vazquez said. “Last year, we were able to add two more free exams. The year before, we were able to add another vitamin panel for the same cost. We’re always working on perfecting the health fair and adding more services at an affordable. Now, my goal going forward is to increase attendance. I know it’s a huge crowd that comes every year, but I just want it to be bigger. I’m confident we will attract a larger audience every year.”
Vazquez said just because this year’s health fair is over does not mean her excitement level has gone down, as she is always excited about the event. She added that excitement is not just on a professional level, but a personal level as well.
“I’ve seen how many people’s lives it has saved,” she said. “I’ve seen a young woman in her mid-30s able to detect cancer at an early stage to where she was able to get the preventative care she needed. It basically saved her life. The excitement is always there.”
For Vazquez, the Community Health Fair is more than just another event.
“It’s an event that is saving people’s lives, saving people money, saving people time, giving people more years of life,” she said. “At the end of the day, life is the most beautiful gift of all, just living. Sometimes, we take it for granted, but not everybody has that luxury of waking up healthy, living their day-to-day activities, feeling great. There are people who wake up and are extremely critically ill, and I feel the best gift you can give to yourself is by prioritizing your health, staying healthy, staying on top of it.”
By utilizing low cost and free preventative screenings, Vazquez said the health fair truly makes a difference in people’s lives.
“Many of them wouldn’t be able to afford it, and it’s the only time they can go and get checked,” she said.
Around 26 percent of Seward County’s population lacks health insurance, one of the highest rates in Kansas, and Vazquez said this further emphasizes the importance of the health fair.
“We work very hard to eliminate barriers like costs,” she said. “That’s why we offer the low cost lab screenings, a lot of free exams, transportation and language so everybody in our community can access the care they need.”
The Community Health Fair typically runs from 7 a.m. to noon, and for Vazquez, those five hours seem to be a blur.
“Honestly, I’m busy from June and July organizing the health fair,” she said. “Rachel and I do everything from logistics to all the merchandise that goes out there, from setting up the booths, prize giveaways, volunteers. We literally organize every little detail to where all they have to do is show up. It’s busy. I get many phone calls, especially when I’m first opening the doors. Easily that day, I have over 50 calls and texts within two hours.”
Vazquez said the Community Health Fair is a great example of a community coming together, organizing and caring.
“I feel every screening, every exam and every conversation at this event has the potential to change or even save a life,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud of our team, thankful to everybody who makes this day possible.”
Vazquez said while she and Downing do much of the work prior to the health fair, the event would not be possible without the generous support of all the volunteers, especially the physicians.
“These physicians are truly taking the day to donate their time,” Vazquez said. “Many of them are either on call or off for the day. Doctors work 24/7. They don’t have downtime. A lot of them work a lot of long hard hours, so for them to know every year they’re going to block this day to serve the community is something we’re extremely thankful for.”
The 2024 Community Health Fair, the event’s 15th edition, did feature many free lab screenings thanks to hard work from the City of Liberal and its commissioners, including Vazquez. She did say, though, that was only for one year.
“Realistically, we can’t afford it every single year,” she said.
The free tests given in 2024 were again given at a cost of $35 this year, as they had been in the past, and Vazquez said providers were still extremely busy giving tests the day of the health fair.
“It goes back to the same thing,” she said. “You’re not going to find these tests as affordable as you are at the health fair, even with insurance. With insurance, you have your deductible, your co-pays. Most insurances don’t pay 100 percent, and $35 is as affordable as it’s going to get.”
Vazquez said she and Downing are working with SWMC administration to potentially add more free screenings into the $35 fee to offer as many services as possible at that rate. Above all, Vazquez said the Community Health Fair saves lives.
“We’re giving people the best gift they can receive in life, which is an extension of their lives or a healthier or more prosperous life,” she said. “It’s all about quality of life, and in order to have a good life, it starts with yourself by being healthy. You can have all the money in the world. You can take all the trips in the world. You can have everything in this world, but if you’re not healthy, it makes your quality of life more difficult.”
Vazquez said the biggest thing she took away from this year’s health fair is the high need in the community for health care screenings, and she said many people make the event possible.
“I mentioned the high percentage of uninsured, but it’s not just the people who are uninsured,” she said. “It’s also our low class citizens, our middle class citizens and even the upper class. With inflation, everything is so expensive. This health fair is benefitting every single person no matter their background, no matter where they come from, and it’s truly an honor to play a role in transforming and saving people’s lives in our community.”
Vazquez said SWMC wants to extend its gratitude to all of the volunteers, providers and community members who contributed to another successful year of service and impact.
“It’s an honor, but I can assure you our health fair is going to continue growing,” she said.
The parking lot at the Activity Center is normally filled to near capacity on the day of the Community Health Fair, and Vazquez said she saw how that looked for the first time this year.
“I had never stepped a foot outside of the health fair besides by the door to take a picture,” she said. “This year, I actually went out into the parking lot, and it was completely packed. It was full, but I hope it doesn’t discourage people from coming.”
Vazquez said despite the packed parking lots, lines and wait times inside the Activity Center were minimal.
“We plan everything out so well that your wait time is going to be minimal,” she said. “People get discouraged because they think they’re going to be standing there for hours, and I guarantee you’ll be in and out in less than an hour.”
