Methodist Hospitals collaborates with Indiana University Northwest, Community HealthNet, and Marram Health Center for Annual Spring Community Health and Wellness Fair

On Saturday, April 11, Methodist Hospitals, in partnership with Indiana University Northwest (IUN), Community HealthNet, and Marram Health Center, hosted their annual Spring Community Health and Wellness Fair. The event was held at IUN’s Savannah Center Gym.

Dr. Angelique Brown, M.D., is a family medicine and obesity medicine doctor at Methodist Hospitals. She believes that people of all ages can benefit from an event like this one.

“It has something for everybody. There is medical assessments, checking your BMI, heart attack or stroke risk assessments, blood draws, and balance assessments,” Brown said.

The event was an opportunity for the partners to expand their health care reach and for community members to take advantage of free health screenings and resources. 

“Not everybody has great access to health care, so this is an opportunity for people to come out and get free screenings,” Brown said. “This is home for me, so it’s amazing to see the number of vendors providing free care for my home community.”

Additionally, each attendee was provided with a free smoothie by Smart Belly Smoothie Company – one that was not just delicious, but also a healthy beverage.

“With IUN hosting and organizing the event, Methodist and other partners can focus on the screenings and share valuable information with this community. People depend on us to give them the resources and education they need to care for themselves,” said Methodist Hospitals ER and ICU Nurse Christina West.

Over the years of conducting this fair, the partners have worked together to ensure the event is a success. IUN has included the event in its strategic plan, prioritizing community engagement within Northwest Indiana.

“We are very happy to partner with Methodist,” said Patricia Johnson, with IUN’s Health Information Management Program. “This event allows people access to free health screenings. It’s also a good educational opportunity for our students to engage with the public. They are interacting and educating the public on topics that they may not be aware of, like having a personal health record.”

The health fair featured a lab draw that allowed attendees to measure their A1C, blood sugar, cholesterol, A1C, and PSA levels. It also provided a heart check-up featuring a-fib screenings, and heart attack and stroke risk assessments.

The fair also featured additional social services from Methodist Hospitals, including the STAR Center, which is a private treatment center that provides medical forensic to survivors of sexual assault. In addition to the health care partners’ services, a variety of community organizations had tables sharing information on nutrition, mental health, chronic disease, and other wellness topics.

“This event is good for the community in general. It goes beyond providing our partners’ services. We have BMO and People’s Bank here, and other government-sponsored facilities as well,” said Johnson. “When the people see all of these organizations coming together, they feel that sense of community. We all must come together for events like this that benefit the community.”

To learn more about the Health and Wellness Clinic at IU Northwest, you can visit northwest.iu.edu/health-wellness-center-clinic/index.html. You can stay up-to-date with what Community HealthNet and Marram Health are doing by visiting their websites.

For more information on Methodist Hospitals, you can visit methodisthospitals.org.