NewsMagic Valley

Actions

North Canyon Medical Center hosts health fair this week

Posted at 6:22 PM, Jun 15, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-15 20:22:24-04

TWIN FALLS — The North Canyon Medical Center is hosting its 23rd annual Health Fair this week. Initially set to be in May, the medical center had to reschedule because of COVID-19. There were thoughts that it wasn't going to happen this year, but the center has been following the state's rebound plan and set the dates for this week.

While it's typically a one-day affair, officials from North Canyon felt it wouldn't be safe since the fair draws in large numbers. They decided to host it in multiple locations across an extended amount of time. Today marked the first day of the event and was held at North Canyon Orthopedics in Twin Falls from 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. The remaining days will take place at the same time as today's event. However, Tuesday-Thursday will be hosted at the main campus in Gooding and Friday in Buhl.

The health fair's objective is to allow community members to have access to affordable lab testing to monitor their health. The fair offers lab testing and blood work to evaluate organ functions and check for conditions such as coronary heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, and diabetes. For those who wish to get this sort of testing, a twelve-hour fast is required. There is also testing for prostate cancer and to detect abnormal testosterone behavior in men over 20.

While there were discussions, North Canyon Medical Center decided that they would not be offering COVID-19 testing. Community Relations Director Shellie Amundson stated, "For the COVID antibody, we felt that that really still needed to be driven by their physician."

The health fair is significant to the community because it can help people save loads of money. The cost of tickets ranges from fifteen to thirty-five dollars for those who have preregistered. Since preregistration is now over, it will cost twenty to fifty dollars.

Despite there being a slight increase in cost compared to what it would usually be, it saves people hundreds. Amundson stated, "We have a lot of people who maybe don't have insurance, or their insurance has a really high deductible. And so this is their one chance a year to get several hundred dollars worth of lab work." The prices are even more critical now since many people find themselves struggling financially.

Those who are getting tested can expect to receive the results in a short amount of time. People who are part of the medical centers patient portal can expect their results to be posted within twenty-four hours. Regular participants will get their findings in the mail within four or five days of testing.