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Photo by Shawn McHugh

Stacy Page checks Barbara Mack’s blood pressure during the 9News Health Fair on Saturday at Sunset Elementary School. Page was one of the medical students from Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine administering the screenings.

Photo by Shawn McHugh

The blood screening room was crowded Saturday during the 9News Health Fair at Sunset Elementary School. More than 330 local residents were screened during the fair.

Josh Garfein’s hands worked diligently around Dan Martin’s collar.

Garfein, 28, a first-year medical student at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Parker, carefully examined and felt Martin’s skin, checking for anything abnormal.

“Do you work a lot out in the sun?” Garfein asked.

Martin, 68, a Lay buffalo rancher, chuckled slightly and admitted he enjoys working on his ranch without a shirt.

“I just like the sun,” Martin said. “They say it’s bad for you, but they say drinking too much pop is bad for you, too.”

Martin was one of about 330 people who attended the 9News Health Fair on Saturday morning at Sunset Elementary School in Craig.

Kristi Shepherd, health fair site coordinator, said attendance was less than average for the annual event, which has been in Craig for about 33 years.

At the fair, residents were able to receive a number of preventative health care check-ups ranging from personal and mental health to nutrition and basic screenings, such as blood chemistry and count, vision, skin, pulse, blood pressure, prostate, colon and breast cancer.

A senior blood draw, which was also part of the health fair and was hosted Thursday at Sunset Meadows II, tested 170 residents, which was slightly above average, Shepherd said.

Many of the services were provided at a reduced price from a regular doctor’s fee, Shepherd said.

Martin said he has attended the fair for about 15 years. It is the only major medical check-up he receives, he said.

He said attending the fair is worth the drive from Lay because it is cheaper than what he would have to pay at a doctor’s office, he likes to keep and organize his own medical records and he understands the importance of preventative health care.

“All these guys are just kind of flags,” Martin said referring to health fair volunteers. “They find something and say, ‘I don’t know what this is, maybe you should have this checked out.’ That is exactly what it is supposed to do.”

Garfein was one of 13 volunteer students from Rocky Vista who staffed the fair.

He said volunteering at the fair gave him more experience interacting with patients rather than simply attending class or practicing exams on standardized patients.

“There is nothing like actually interacting with somebody who is here,” Garfein said. “It may be their only time of the year to see a physician and may be the only time they get health care because they can’t afford it.”

But, despite a day full of examining chapped hands, sunspots and moles, he said he was happy to help and have the opportunity to learn.

“It is a great opportunity to see a distinct population that spends a lot of time outside, a lot of time working with their hands, or working with their bodies,” he said.

Dr. Thomas Told, the dean of clinical medicine at Rocky Vista and a former longtime Moffat County physician, supervised the volunteer students.

Told said preventative care, like the testing done at the 9News Health Fair, is key to preventing diseases.

Bodily indicators such as cholesterol numbers and blood pressure are “vital numbers” for health measurement and frequent monitoring of them can help with early health intervention, he said.

Kara Soper, a medical technician at The Memorial Hospital in Craig, said she was happy to volunteer her time at the health fair.

“It makes you feel good,” Soper said. “I think people are grateful that we are doing this.”

Soper said the event was a welcome break from her usual routine.

“I’m at home all the time with two little babies outside of work, but I get to get out and see other people in the community,” she said.

Volunteers from the Craig Lions Club, Craig Rotary Club, Cedar Mountain Club, Moffat County Assessor’s Office and The Memorial Hospital helped staff and organize the event, and local resident Red Cortner donated bottles of water.