By Andrew Hackmack
This year the weather was somewhere in between but good enough to draw a steady crowd to the free event.
From children to senior citizens, people of all ages came out to Saturday¹s fair to learn about what the North Valley Stream hospital has to offer. A variety of free screenings included blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, pulmonary function, hearing, glaucoma, diabetic foot and breast exams. Some were conducted in private confines within the hospital, while others were done right underneath the big tent.
Linda Ferri, assistant executive director of Franklin Hospital, said the event does draw a large senior citizen population.
³It is indicative of the demographic in our community,² she said. ³The seniors are interested in their health.²
Angelo Scordato of Valley Stream has been going to the health fair with his wife, Frances, every year since it started. He takes advantage of the free screenings and learns about issues affecting his generation.
³They have a lot of information about health topics that are good for seniors,² he said.
Scordato said while it seemed some people stayed away because of the rainy weather early in the morning, he wasn¹t going to be one of them. It is an event he said he will continue to attend until he isn¹t able to anymore.
In addition to the useful information the fair offers, Scordato commended the hospital¹s employees for their courtesy. ³The staff and volunteers are very respectful and kind,² he said.
Ferri said that the annual health fair is something the doctors, nurses and other health professionals look forward to each year.
³There is a lot of enthusiasm,² she said. ³The staff really does like to participate. It¹s a fun day for them.²
Throughout the tent were dozens of tables, each with information about a variety of health topics. Ferri said the booths showcase the many services that Franklin Hospital has to offer, as well as other outside health vendors.
³We do reach out,² she said. ³We try to get new exhibitors each year to make it interesting and varied.²
Topics ranged from organ donations and lung cancer awareness, to dental care and nutrition. One table highlighted all the new improvements at the hospital during the past year. Officials from the Nassau County Police Department fifth precinct were also on hand to provide free child identification cards.
One booth highlighted the hospital¹s radiology department, which has greatly expanded since the last health fair. Director Thomas Knichel, joined by technicians Philip Oro and Carol Brown, said the new radiology suite opened last November with state-of-the-art equipment.
Knichel said the hospital administration and the North Shore/LIJ system provided the funds necessary to upgrade the department. He said it can now compete with outside imaging centers.
In 2008, Oro explained, the department will be going digital. ³Doctors will get results quicker,² he said as a benefit of the new equipment.
The Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Program is also a new addition to the hospital highlighted at Saturday¹s fair. Nurse Diane Griffin explained that they mostly treat people with diabetic foot wound and stasis ulcers. Prior to the opening of this facility, she said many people suffering from these afflictions had few other places to turn to for care.
³We have a great group of doctors,² Griffin said.
Rory O¹Reilly, 12, and brother Kieran, 11, of Elmont, said they both like to play sports and found the fair very helpful. Rory said that he learned from staff at the physical therapy booth about the importance of stretching and doing warm up exercise before participating in sports.
The brothers have come to the health fair in the past. That¹s not uncommon, says hospital spokeswoman Audrey Tullo, who notes that the event has quite the following. The event takes about three to four months to plan during that time people begin to get excited about it.
³They start calling me up in the summer,² Tullo said, ³to ask, ŒWhen is the health fair?¹²
