By Mary Jo Coulehan | Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce
After a long hiatus, the health fair will return to Archuleta County, but under new supervision and partnerships.
The Chamber of Commerce, Healthy Archuleta and the new Archuleta County Public Health Department will be spearheading the efforts for a renewed Health Fair and Expo.
The half-day event is to take place on Oct. 21 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pagosa Springs High School. The morning will be dedicated to a combination of healthy efforts, namely blood draws for lab work, educational sessions and demonstrations, and knowledgeable product and service vendors.
It is important that you receive blood work analysis, and low-cost blood draws will be available on a limited basis. However, it is also important that preventative care and communication with a health care provider is high on your list of how to take care of yourself and minimize health issues.
Therefore, at the Expo, there will be health care providers and a number of “healthy” vendors with products or services available to help you lead a healthier lifestyle. If you are a vendor that has a service or product that you would like exposed at the Health Fair and Expo, please contact Mary Jo Coulehan at the Chamber at (970) 264-2360 or email her at director@pagosachamber.com.
There will be a plethora of informational sessions that you can attend throughout the morning discussing interesting and relative issues such as “Whole Body Wellness” involving practices such as chiropractic, massage and physical therapy; “Health Insurance Literacy”; “Women’s Health”; and “Youth Mental Health,” just to name a few. There will also be great prize package drawings if you attend the educational sessions. The morning will culminate with a farm-to-table lunch with keynote speaker Dr. David Shaeffer with Pagosa Medical Group.
Mark your calendars for Oct. 21 for this renewed health fair. For more information, you can also visit https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org/archuleta-health-fair-and-expo.html.
Business After Hours lottery to open Oct. 2
It’s that time of year when businesses begin looking at their 2024 sales, budgets and marketing plans — or at least that is what you should be doing. Part of that marketing plan is checking to see about hosting a Business After Hours networking event.
These events are open to Chamber members. They are typically held the fourth Wednesday of the month except for holiday months. We also do not host Business After Hours in January or September due to major Chamber events.
What does your business need to do to host a Business After Hours? First off, sign up with membership coordinator Kim Hartfiel. You can choose three months in order of preference. Then, on Nov. 6, the winners will be randomly selected and notified.
The next step is to actually host the event and work with Hartfiel to highlight your business. Who should sign up? Any Chamber member business. However, if you are a new business, a business that has changed locations or have added or changed any of your services — you are a prime candidate. On the flip side, if you haven’t hosted a Business After Hours ever or in many years, you too would be a primary candidate.
Nonprofit agencies or a home-based business that really doesn’t have a storefront could partner with a bricks-and-mortar location. In that same vein, if multiple businesses are in a strip center, it is a great idea to host a “block party.” The Chamber is happy to work with you and your marketing ideas for future Business After Hours events.
Give Hartfiel a call at (970) 264-2360 for ideas or to have your questions answered. The deadline to enter your business in the BAH lottery drawing is the close of business on Oct. 31.
Important notification
The Chamber offices will be closed Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 3-5. We apologize for the inconvenience. We will have limited email access as well. We will return to full-scale operation on Friday, Oct. 6, with office hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
