A worker from Riverside Fire Authority fits a child with a free bike helmet last year during the Healthier Together event.
Providence Centralia Hospital is set to host its Healthier Together fun run and mini health fair this Saturday.
“We talk about knowing your numbers,” said Chris Thomas, who is the communications senior manager for Providence Health & Services, Southwest Washington. “Everyone knows how much they weigh, but we talk about knowing your cholesterol and blood sugar. It’s important for folks to know that and not many people do.”
The morning kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday. The first 45 minutes of the event is for the 5K fun run and walk registration. As of Wednesday afternoon, 325 people had registered for the run. The first 300 people who registered will receive a free T-shirt and all participants get a ticket for door-prize drawings.
Providence physical therapists will also be on deck to lead stretches before the run starts at 9 a.m. There is a run for children up to age 12, called the “Kids Dash” at 10:30 a.m.
Run Amok Irish Running Club coordinates the fun run and prizes. In the past, the club has handed out medallions, water bottles and gift cards. Thomas said there have been anywhere from 10-25 door prizes.
Providence started the Healthier Together event 11 years ago as a women’s wellness event. The hospital previously provided free mammograms at the event. Thomas explained that due to changes in insurance, women now have access to free mammograms without the Healthier Together event.
Five years ago, Providence first partnered with Run Amok Irish Running Club to put on the fun run. It also began providing a mini health fair at the annual event. The mini health fair includes free screenings for cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels.
“My guess is that most people who (get these tests), do it if they need it for a doctor and they have insurance,” Thomas said. “I’m guessing there are very few people who go pay for a cholesterol check or a blood pressure check. It’s not available to everyone, because they don’t have insurance or they don’t have access to a primary care provider.”
Thomas noted there will be numerous health professionals from Providence at the event to answer people’s questions.
“People come to events like this because they have a specific question, maybe,” Thomas said. “It’s one of those things where people can have one-on-one conversations with experts in the healthcare field.”
Thomas said that even if attendees don’t want to participate in the run, they should still come to the event for free healthcare advice.
“We’ll have a wide variety of other services there — advance care planning, rehab therapy staff will be there, nutrition,” Thomas said. “The rehab therapy (staff) will lead the stretching. People can ask all kinds of questions.”
Providence will also hand out free bike helmets for kids and healthy snacks before and after the run.
Healthier Together takes place from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. Saturday at the Providence Professional Building parking lot, located at 1010 Scheuber Road in Centralia. This event is free and open to the public.
