YMCA holds Health & Wellness Fair

The Dripping Springs YMCA held a “Health & Wellness Fair,” on Saturday Jan. 18. The event afforded visitors the opportunity to meet with area organizations that provide health care services, and find out more about their services.

“Strong credit for the event needs to be given to Beth Prevelige, one of our fitness instructors, who came up with the idea, and Amber Payne, one of our floor monitors, who actually made it happen,” YMCA Health and Wellness Director Bernadette Johnson said. “Amber looked up organizations to invite, then actually made the calls. I just had to say yes to the idea.”

One of the organizations present was the DS Lions Club who were providing free “KidSight Eye Screenings,” to kids between the ages of six months to 60 months of age. The screening is helpful in identifying potential eye issues, such as Myopia (nearsightedness), Astigmatism (blurred vision), Anisometropia (Unequal sightedness), Hyperopia (farsightedness), Anisocoria (pupil abnormalities), Strabismus (eyes that are misaligned), and Amblyopia (lazy eye). 

According to the DS Lions Club, “less than 5% of preschool kids receive an eye exam, and less than 22% receive a vision screening. On average, 20% of the kids receiving a Lions ‘KidSight Vision Screening’ have been recommended to receive a complete eye exam.”

The Lions Club was also promoting awareness of their “Texas Lions Camp,” a summer camping facility dedicated to serving children from the State of Texas with “physical disabilities, Down syndrome, cancer, and Type 1 diabetes.”

Health care providers on hand for the event ranged from Kethley Physical Therapy, to Austin Regional Clinic, to Precision Chiropractic, to health care insurance providers. The tables were set up in the entrance lobby, facilitating easy visits as people walked to their work outs.

Twitter: @John_E_Pacheco