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  • Jennifer Lyons and Sonya Germann from the Centralia Recreation Complex demonstrate how to help a drowning person with a pool noodle at the eighth Women’s Health Fair Saturday. The fair held seminars on pool exercise and safety for the first time. RORYE O’CONNOR/REGISTER-NEWS

    Women's Health Fair
May 24, 2010

Crossroads hosts women’s health fair

By RORYE O’CONNOR rorye.oconnor@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — The eighth annual Women’s Health Fair, hosted by Crossroads Community Hospital, featured speakers, screenings and information on everything from healthy cooking to bone density.

This year’s health fair was the first to include seminars about aquatic exercise and pool safety in the pool area at the Mt. Vernon Holiday Inn, along with the usual health seminars and booths filling the atrium and banquet halls.

Crossroads director of marketing and public relations Debi Richardson said the event usually draws about 500 people and she expected this year’s event to be similar in turnout.

Sandie Peters of Centralia said she enjoyed the aquatic exercise seminar.

“Since I know very little about pool exercise, yes, I learned a lot,” she said. “It’s something I’d be interested in if it was in my area. Driving to Mt. Vernon every day is not in my schedule.”

Jennifer Lyons and Sonya Germann from the Centralia Recreation Complex presented a seminar on pool safety and different ways to save a drowning person without putting oneself at risk.

“Always have someone as a designated lifeguard, just like a designated driver,” Germann told the approximately 20 attendees to the seminar. “Keep a cell phone by the pool in case you do have to call for assistance.”

Germann said a ring buoy with a rope is an imperative lifesaving instrument, especially for commercial pools. She demonstrated with Lyons how to stand with the rope under one’s foot and throw the lifesaving device past the person who needs it, and then bring it back toward them.

The recreation complex employees demonstrated how to use a shepherd’s hook, a common pool noodle, a long pole and a milk or juice jug to help pull a drowning person to safety.

Lyons discussed the importance of a properly-fitting life jacket for inexperienced swimmers.

“There are many different types of life jackets,” she said. “You need a buddy to tighten the snaps. You don’t want it loose at all. If it’s too small, it won’t help you stay above water as much as you want. If it is too large, it will slide up to your chin, and nobody wants to swim like that.”

Germann said she thought the seminar was a success.

“It’s fantastic,” she said. “I think they should do it more than once a year.”

Richardson said another new facet to the Health Fair was a booth on the Lap-Band system and transoral incisionless fundoplication, two new procedures Crossroads Community Hospital is offering.

The Lap-Band system is similar to gastric bypass, said Mary Dillman, Crossroads RN,  but is an outpatient procedure and creates a smaller area for food to get into the stomach rather than cutting off an area.

The TIF system is performed under general anesthesia and involves the placement of a device to reconstruct the antireflux valve, information states, which can treat Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

“We’re always looking for new things to improve people’s quality of life,” Richardson said. “The TIF is great for GERD. There are a lot of people on daily medication for reflux, and it’s a great solution.”

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