When you take charge of your health, it feels great. Knowing where you stand health-wise is empowering. If you know that your annual blood panel results reflect potential health problems, you can take steps to correct them. That’s why getting annual bloodwork completed is so important. Catching issues early on often means they are manageable and won’t seriously affect your life.

“Participating in the Prowers Medical Center’s Annual Health Fair is a great way to keep a close eye on your health and know if any preventative measures are needed,” said Tress Gadash, Lab Manager for Prowers Medical Center.

When left to unfold, conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer can have serious consequences. For example, diabetes can lead to kidney disease, high blood pressure, stroke, vision loss, foot problems and more. Heart disease ultimately can result in heart attack or stroke.

“Our community is affected by various health disorders, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Many of these disorders are very manageable or even preventable in some cases with early action,” Gadash said.

If you have a family history of a certain disease, or if you know you are on the road to developing a disease, it’s especially important to watch for signs as you age. Genetic conditions tend to set in with age.

“When done each year, blood screenings give your providers the comparative information they need to help keep you healthy,” Gadash said. “The Prowers Medical Center health fair provides a great opportunity for you to get an in-depth screening at an affordable cost.”

For $25 you receive several tests, including: CBC (complete blood count), glucose, uric acid, liver enzymes, thyroid screens, Hemoglobin A1C, lipid panel and more. For an extra $10, men can receive a PSA screening test for prostate cancer. For a complete listing, visit prowersmedical.com.

“All labs performed at the health fair play a vital role in managing your health. The large panel can help monitor or identify ailments such as hematological disorders, liver and kidney function, along with risk for diabetes and heart disease,” Gadash added.

Comprehensive health fair labs can detect a variety of conditions including gout, liver disease, lipid disorders (cholesterol), thyroid disorders, anemia, precancerous conditions, infections, platelet disorders, kidney disorders and diabetes, plus a PSA test helps to identify and check for prostate cancer.

“We often have results finalized within 24 hours. Once finalized by lab staff, the results are available on the Prowers Medical Center Patient Portal. After the fair ends, we sort and mail results the following day. People who attend the health fair can expect results by early the following week,” Gadash said.

Get your labs results fast by signing up for the patient portal! If you have not signed up for the patient portal, provide your email address at registration. It will be entered into the system and from there you can create your account. You can also sign up at the health fair or go to the website at prowersmedical.com to learn more.

Plan on attending this year’s annual health fair and taking advantage of low cost labs, activity and information booths, refreshments, a free blood pressure test and more. The 40th annual health fair event will be held on Tuesday, May 8th through Thursday, May 10th. The event will run between 7:00 am and 11:00 am, all three days. For more information, call 719.336.5147 or email karen.bryant@prowersmedical.com.