Fair Highlights Public Safety/Health Topics

By Andrew Gorosko

People attending the free Newtown Public Safety and Health Fair inside Newtown Middle School and on its grounds on Saturday, September 29, sampled a variety of public safety/health subjects.

Topics ranged from the use of police dogs in law enforcement to the extrication of victims trapped in auto accidents, from using scuba gear for underwater search and rescue work to raising Holstein cattle at a local farm, and from testing to detect vision problems to learning the Chinese martial arts.

Those six topics were a only a few the subjects discussed by the about 50 exhibitors who explained their work to those attending the 19th annual fair.

Among the exhibitors were the American Red Cross, the Chamber of Commerce of Newtown, Kevin’s Community Center, Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Newtown Prevention Council, Newtown Youth & Family Services, Western Connecticut State University, and the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury.

Unlike past fairs, which ran from 10 am to 2 pm, the fair on Saturday, started at 9 am and ran to 1 pm.

Donna Culbert, director of the Newtown Health District, said that 207 influenza vaccinations were given to the public at the fair by the Bethel Visiting Nurse Association.

Those receiving the flu shots had no out-of-pocket costs, she said, noting that the vaccinations’ expenses were either covered by the recipients’ health insurance or by the Newtown Visiting Nurse Association.

Ms Culbert said that many people attending the fair took advantage of various free health screening tests provided by local health care groups.

Among the tests made were: 25 skin cancer screenings, 15 vision tests, 12 preschool vision screenings, 64 bone-density tests, seven hearing tests, and 90 cholesterol/glucose screenings, she said.

Among the individuals and groups providing those tests were: Dr William Notaro, Dr Joseph Young, Dr Kelly McGlynn, the Newtown Lions Club, The Healthy Eye Alliance, Physicians Health and Injury Center, audiologist Anne Lynn, and Impact Health.

“I thought it was great…We had a very good turnout,” Ms Culbert said of the fair. The exhibitors were pleased, she added.