BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WTRF) — Many people came to Bellaire Thursday for the Belmont County Health Fair.
Hundreds of patrons stopped by the Bellaire High School gym and visited dozens of vendors’ booths, spotlighting everything from substance abuse to sexual assault to suicide.
There were free items, health check-ups and information booths.
One issue that the county health department presented was a program called Rethink Your Drink, about the amount of sugar in ordinary beverages.
“Women shouldn’t really have more than six teaspoons a day of sugar according to the American Heart Association. And for men it’s nine. So most of the cans of soda have more than that, and it goes up from there. So we’re just trying to encourage people to think or maybe substitute water.”
Linda Mehl, RN, Belmont County Health Department
“We kind of feel like since COVID, our health or our wellness has kind of fell off a little bit. So we’re working with Wheeling Health Right and we’re working with the Belmont County Heath Department in an effort to come together, bring the community together, and to let the community of Belmont County know, let’s start focusing back on our health.”
Jerry Moore II, President, Belmont County NAACP
There was a lot of swag, like refrigerator magnets, bracelets and water bottles.
People came in to take advantage of some of the free health screenings, from blood sugar to lipid levels to blood pressure.
Some organizations took part that weren’t directly health related, like the Boy Scouts of America, but they advocate a healthy lifestyle.
