The Archuleta County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is partnering with Healthy Archuleta to offer the second annual Archuleta Health Fair and Expo.
With a focus on prevention and wellness, the ACPHD is running the lab portion of the fair and encourages community members, especially those without insurance, to take advantage of the amazing pricing of the labs at this year’s fair.
Labs at this year’s health fair include CMP, CBC, lipid, A1c, TSH, vitamin D and PSA. Please remember, if you will be receiving lab testing at the health fair, you must fast (not eat or drink anything except water) for 12 hours prior to getting any blood drawn.
These labs help monitor your health and can support disease prevention — but what all do they do?
A CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel) is a routine blood test that measures 14 substances in your blood to provide information about your body’s chemical balance, metabolism, liver and kidney health.
A CBC (complete blood count) is a blood test that measures the following components of your blood:
• Red blood cells (RBC): The number of red blood cells in your blood.
• White blood cells (WBC): The number of white blood cells in your blood.
• Hemoglobin (Hgb): The amount of hemoglobin in your blood.
• Hematocrit (Hct): The percentage of your blood that is made up of red blood cells.
• Platelets: The number of platelets in your blood.
• Mean corpuscular volume (MCV): The average size of your red blood cell.
• White blood cell differential: The number of different types of white blood cells in your blood.
Overall, CBC is a common test that can help identify a range of conditions, including anemia, infection and leukemia.
A lipid panel is a common blood test that health care providers use to monitor and screen for your risk of cardiovascular disease. The panel includes measurements of your cholesterol levels and a measurement of your triglycerides. It looks for and helps evaluate your risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart disease, heart attack (myocardial infarction) and stroke.
An A1C test, also known as a hemoglobin A1C or HbA1c test, measures a person’s average blood sugar level over the past three months. It is a blood test that can help diagnose diabetes and prediabetes, and monitor how well a person is managing their diabetes.
A TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test is used to find out how well your thyroid is working. It can tell if you have hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) or hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) in your blood.
A vitamin D test measures the level of vitamin D in your blood to make sure you have enough for your body to work well. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and teeth. It also helps keep your muscles, nerves and immune system working normally.
As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we also want to highlight cancer screening services.
Specifically at the health fair, women can receive a free breast exam and learn more about the Women’s Wellness Connection (WWC) — a program offered through the public health department.
The WWC includes free cervical and breast cancer screening to those who qualify. The WWC program is specifically for uninsured or underinsured women 21 and older for cervical screening, and 40 and older for breast cancer screening, which can include a mammogram. Stop by the ACPHD table at the fair to learn more or call (970) 264-2409.
Men can also sign up for a PSA test (prostate-specific antigen), which measures the level of PSA in a man’s blood, screening for prostate cancer. This is done through a blood draw and can be done at the same time as the other wellness labs. Men getting their PSA checked should be advised to stay off bicycles, horses and sexual activity for 48 hours prior to getting blood drawn.
You can preregister for the health fair at https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org/. This allows you to pick your time slot for labs and sign up for the farm-to-table lunch.
Walk-ins are also welcome for all health fair activities.
There are lots of free offerings at the health fair this year, including free vision and hearing screenings, free dental screenings and STI (sexually transmitted disease) testing.
Providers from the Pagosa Springs Medical Center, Pagosa Medical Group and Pagosa Springs Integrated Health will also be on-site to share what services they offer, and to schedule follow-up appointments to discuss lab results. Bilingual services are available to ensure that services are accessible to our Spanish-speaking families.
Lab costs are as follows:
The cost is $20 for all CMP, CBC, Lipid, A1c and TSH. Remember, individuals signing up for labs need to fast (not eat or drink anything except water) for 12 hours prior to getting blood drawn.
The cost is $6 for PSA (for men only). Men getting their PSA checked should be advised to stay off bicycles, horses and sexual activity for 48 hours prior to getting blood drawn.
The cost is $16 for vitamin D. Individuals signing up for labs need to fast (not eat or drink anything except water) for 12 hours prior to getting blood drawn.
We hope to see you there.
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