Apr. 6--Health care may be a costly and confusing topic, but the ninth annual Women's Health 101 fair at CentraCare Health Plaza on Saturday aims to provide free and accurate information for all.
The St. Cloud event includes free health screenings, presentations, information booths and pharmacist consults. At last year's event, there were 450 registered attendees, according to organizers.
"Women are key decision-makers in families," said Dr. Allen Horn, president of CentraCare Clinic. "And in order for them to make good decisions, we need to do whatever we can to be sure that they have accurate medical information."
Participants can come and go as they please at the event, which begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 2:45 p.m., but pre-registration is encouraged.
"This is a great opportunity for women to obtain accurate medical information on lots of great topics," Horn said.
Women-oriented
Physicians will talk about how to live a long and healthy life, allergies and arthritis. Registered nurses and dietitians will discuss diabetes. Those are just a few of the topics.
"We want to provide women who take the time to attend this with the information they are looking for and address the topics they are interested in," Horn said. "Osteoporosis is a problem that is extremely common in women, and breast cancer, for example, would be another one."
Many of the topics that will be covered at Saturday's event -- such as skin care, sleep and even bra fittings -- were based on participant evaluations of past Women's Health 101 events.
"In more active women particularly, proper bra fitting is extremely important because with bras that are not fitting properly, women can have back pain and shoulder pain," he said.
Women between the ages of about 55 and 75 are among the fastest-growing segments of the population in Central Minnesota, according to Horn.
"They are going to have higher incidences of chronic diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, so we need to help those women have the information they need to make good medical decisions in collaboration with their health care providers," he said.
"My experience has been that women manage their own health, and they tend to utilize health care more than men. We men kind of only go to the doctor if we're dead or dying."
Health info
Katie Schad will be one of the presenters at Women's Health 101. She also teaches yoga classes at StudioJeff and at Mind, Body & Spirit in St. Cloud.
"Women are always multitasking ... always helping out others first, and they tend to neglect themselves," Schad said. "But when they get on a yoga mat, that's just time for them to take a break ... to get in touch with their mind, body and spirit."
Sponsored by Central Minnesota Women and Times Media, Saturday's event includes a variety of speakers, such as a Benedictine nun who will talk about anxiety and Schad, a yoga instructor.
"Yoga postures in coordination with breathing techniques really help a person release tension they've been holding onto but might not be aware of," said Schad, who will be leading yoga exercises at the event with the use of flash cards.
Three Sisters Inspired, a St. Cloud-based trio of sisters, spiritual counselors and coaches, will give the event's keynote presentation at 1:45 p.m.
There also will be a 45-minute question-and-answer session beginning at 12:15 p.m. with four physicians; Horn said health care providers have less time today to educate their patients, so Women's Health 101 was intended to have a variety of informational booths under one roof.
"Women, in many cases, manage the health of their spouses, and they certainly, in most cases, manage the health of their children, and they often end up helping to manage the health of their ailing parents," Horn said.
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