By Staff
Special to The Star
July 24, 2002
The first day of school is just around the corner, and Riley Hospital will host a health fair Saturday to help make sure your child is prepared for the new year.
The 5th Annual Riley Bear Health Fair for Babies and Children will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Bonita Lakes Mall. Activities will be in the area between J.C. Penney, McRae's and Goody's.
Most of the participating organizations provide services for infants and children in the community.
They will be set up in the parking lot between the McRae's and the J.C. Penney mall entrances. They will inspect car seats to ensure they are installed properly; they also will check to make sure the seats are appropriate for the age and size of the child.
The Meridian Police Department will be on hand to provide information on its DARE program as well as crime safety tips.
Riley Hospital's Emergency Department will provide information on poison control and first aid tips for children, and the Riley Children's Therapy Center will offer information on school readiness.
The hospital's WomanCare Birth Place will provide health information for infants from ages newborn to 1 year, and the Riley Nutrition Services department will distribute nutritional information for preschool, elementary and secondary students.
Meridian Speech and Hearing will offer middle ear pressure checks and information on hearing. The Partnership for a Healthy Lauderdale County will provide information to youngsters on tobacco prevention and the dangers of second-hand smoke.
Participants in this year's health fair include Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boys &Girls Club of East Mississippi, Buckle Up For Life, Care Lodge Domestic Violence Shelter, Choctaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 40, Girl Scouts of Gulf Pines Council, Greater Meridian Health Clinic Inc., Hope Village for Children, Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department, Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency, Meridian Fire Department, Meridian Police Department, Meridian Public School District school nurses, Meridian Speech &Hearing Center, Metro Ambulance, Mississippi Department of Health First Steps Program, Mississippi Neuro Restorative Center in Durant, Partnership for a Healthy Lauderdale County, Riley Children's Therapy Center, Riley Community Education, Riley Emergency Department, Riley Nutrition Service, Ross Pediatrics, Usborne Books At Home, Weems Community Mental Health Center Children and Youth Division, and Woman's Group of Meridian.
For more information regarding the health fair, call Glenda Sanders in the Riley Hospital marketing department at 484-3586.