Preparations are underway for Park Ridge’s very first community health fair, co-hosted by the city’s Community Health Commission and the Park Ridge Park District.
The health commission is seeking interested area businesses and nonprofit organizations to participate in the fair, which is scheduled for June 23 from 9 a.m. to noon at Hodges Park, Courtland and Vine avenues.
The goal of the event, said heath commission member Tim Milburn, is to make citizens aware of various fitness and health-oriented opportunities that exist in the community.
According to the commission, the fair will have the following focus areas: health and wellness; environmental health and sustainability; disease education and prevention; outreach; mental health and substance abuse; and emergency preparedness.
Milburn added that the event is also a way to promote the Park Ridge Community Health Commission, which was revamped in 2016 with a new mission expanding its focus to include awareness of various public health matters, as well as environmental health.
“It’s mostly informational with an awareness that there is a community health group that’s trying to do the right thing for the residents of Park Ridge,” Milburn said of the fair.
Visitors to the health fair can expect to see informational tables as well as demonstrations of fitness routines, Milburn said.
“If you have a fitness business in Park Ridge and you want to make people aware you exist, the Community Health Fair is a place to show your venue,” he said.
The fair will also serve as a precursor to the health commission’s second “Get Fit Park Ridge” initiative, which takes place in July. That program, which was launched for the first time last year, consists of local gyms and other fitness-oriented businesses offering special deals and discounts to new customers.
“We had a good number [of participants] last year,” Milburn said. “We’re hoping that number grows.”
In recent months, the Community Health Commission has called upon the City Council to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21; added a link on the city’s website to AirNow, which reports the air quality index for the area; promoted a prescription medication disposal box at the Park Ridge Police Station; and launched a survey to determine future events and educational opportunities.
Businesses, organizations and residents interested in having a table at the health fair or making a demonstration should contact Milburn at logintim@gmail.com by 5 p.m. on April 24.
jjohnson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
