The gymnasium of Fairhaven Baptist Church took on a different look Tuesday as several representatives from the area gathered for a Health Fair. The fair was put together by Comfort Care Hospice to help local citizens learn more about programs and products geared toward helping the public enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

Nadine Coddington, who helped organize the fair, said the idea for the gathering was to inform people of some of the ways they could benefit from the services.

“We are doing the health fair as a community service,” Coddington said. “This is just a way to provide a central locale for people to get more information about some of the health services available and community help from their home.”

The fair was the first of its kind for Comfort Care, but Coddington said they would like to have a similar event each year.

“This is the first year we have done this,” Coddington said. “But this is something we would like to see each year.”

Service providers proved more than willing to set up displays at the fair to educate the public. Coddington said they were very excited about the response from local providers.

“We have had a good response from our vendors,” Coddington said. “There are plenty of vendors here for people to ask questions and learn more about what they offer.”

Several programs of interest were available at the event. The Social Security Administration was there to tell people about a new program that will help seniors who are not on Medicaid. Blood pressure screenings, cholesterol checks, blood sugar checks and several other services were also available.

The Alabama-Tombigbee Regional Commission’s area agency on aging was also on hand. This group highlighted five categories in which they provide services including information and access services, community based services, in home services and elder rights and employment services.

Coddington said they also hoped to better inform people about hospice service and what it means.

“We also wanted to provide the public with information about hospice service,” Coddington said. “This is a service we have within a 50 mile radius of Demopolis and it is a program regulated by Medicare to take care of people with long term illnesses. We provide service at home, in nursing homes or in an assisted living facility.”

Comfort Care extended a special thanks to everyone who attended and helped to make the fair possible.