Valley Presbyterian Hospital's Health & Wellness Community Fair a Smashing Success

Valley Presbyterian Hospital (VPH) hosted its free annual Health & Wellness Community Fair on Saturday, October 11.

This year the theme of the VPH Health & Wellness Community Fair was “A Trip to the Farmer’s Market” to emphasize the importance of maintaining well-balanced diets rich in the fruits and vegetables readily available at local grocery stores and farmer’s markets. Attendees were able to visit the “Farmer’s Market” on-site and select a fruit or vegetable to take home.

The fair offered a variety of free health screenings including blood pressure, carotid artery, glucose, cholesterol, body mass index (BMI) and foot health. Free flu shots were also administered.

“As the San Fernando Valley’s only independent hospital, we proud to be a citizen of this community and to host this health fair as a way to bring our mission to life in a fun and engaging way,” said Valley Presbyterian Hospital Senior Vice President of Community & Market Development Pegi Matsuda.

Children’s activities included face painting, a balloon artist, a puppet show, an arts and crafts station, and car-seat safety demonstrations. The event also featured a “Teddy Bear Clinic” led by certified Child Life Specialists.

The fair also included live cooking demonstrations led by Gloria Huerta from Food for Life. The demo featured scrambled tofu and lentil salad.

Information booths, healthy food, and Roots & Riddim, a reggae band, rounded out the day’s festivities.