Zumba, vaccinations and ‘Ask the Pharmacist’ : Saturday is Community Health Day in Morristown

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Saturday marks Morristown Memorial Hospital’s 15th annual Community Health Day. It runs from 9 am to 1 pm at Headquarters Plaza, where there should be an expert to answer just about any health question you can dream up.

Here’s the full scoop:

FROM MORRISTOWN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL:

15th ANNUAL COMMUNITY HEALTH DAY SET FOR SEPT. 11

TOWN, COUNTY AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS WILL OFFER SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC

MORRISTOWN, NJ SEPTEMBER 2010 – Morristown Memorial Hospital’s Community Health Day will mark its milestone 15th anniversary of offering a variety of free, health-related services at Headquarters Plaza in Morristown, on Saturday, September 11, 2010, from 9:00am to 1:00pm.

The event annually attracts hundreds of people who come to learn about the numerous health-related services that are available to them not only by Atlantic Health, the parent company of Morristown Memorial, but also throughout the community. The town of Morristown and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office plan to join the many local organizations that will be participating in this year’s event.

Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty also is expected to make a special appearance at this year’s Community Health Day for a moment of silence in remembrance of those lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Community Health Day this year will feature more than 70 exhibitors offering a number of services, including perennial features such as free health screenings and information and counseling and unique services such as therapeutic massages.

More than 1,300 screenings were performed at last year’s Community Health Day. This year, free screenings will be offered for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, bone density, vision, hearing, oral cancer, prostate cancer and more. The event will also offer free exercise activities, therapeutic massages, giveaways and other demonstrations, such as Zumba. The event will be preceded by the Links annual Walkathon, which will begin from Morristown Memorial at 8:00am.

This year’s Community Health Day will debut a new feature, the “Ask the Pharmacist” Table, in which pharmacists from the Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute will answer questions from the public about medications. The Morristown Health Department will participate in the event for the first time, offering various vaccinations. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office will offer parents the opportunity to create identification kits for their children.

“While much in the landscape of health care has changed in the last decade and a half, it is clear that this event continues to fulfill the many basic and enduring needs of the community,” said Vicki Hughes, manager of the Community Health Department at Morristown Memorial. “Each year we find new ways to carry out this mission, and we look forward to doing so for many more years to come.”

Other new participants to this year’s event will include the Salvation Army, which will provide information on child care, and the Mental Health Association of Morris County, which will provide information about mental health resources available to the community.

The event will feature a Youth Pavilion, which will include various activities for children and an exhibit by Goryeb Children’s Hospital’s TeenHealthFX, an online resource for teenagers.

To accommodate the area’s growing Latino population, Spanish translators and Spanish-speaking staff will be readily available and will offer educational materials in Spanish. Health screening information, consent forms and brochures will be available in English and Spanish.

The Morristown Memorial Health Foundation is the event’s primary sponsor. It is also sponsored by Verizon and NJ SHARES (New Jersey Statewide Heating Assistance and Referral for Energy Services), a non-profit organization which assists residents who have fallen behind on their energy bills due to a temporary financial crisis.

Started in 1996, this day of wellness was created through a partnership between Pastor Robert Rogers at The Church of God in Christ and Morristown Memorial to bring health screenings and education into the community. As the event continues to grow, it also includes the support of Calvary Baptist Church, Union Baptist Church, Tabernacle of Faith Church, St. Margaret’s Catholic Church, Bethel AME Church, and the County College of Morris. The event is funded by a grant from the Morristown Memorial Health Foundation.

To register for any of the screenings, or for more information, please call: 1-800-247-9580 or visit www.atlantichealth.org.

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