HANCOCK - Trevor Ohtola was anxious to get back into his new child car seat Saturday, but he had to wait while the adults finished making adjustments to it as they installed it into his grandparents' car.
Trevor's mother, Danielle, said she brought the 2-and a-half-year-old to the Portage Health Health and Safety Fair because it was time he got a new car seat.
Judy Pruner, Portage Health car seat technical coordinator, said despite a steady drizzle, attendance for the car seat demonstration and fitting was good.
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Kurt Hauglie/Daily Mining Gazette
Ty Hartung of Frei Chevrolet in Marquette makes some adjustments to a car seat Saturday as 2-and-a-half-year-old Trevor Ohtola sits patiently. The car seat clinic was one of several offerings during the fourth annual Portage Health Health and Safety Fair at the Hancock campus.
"It's been steady the whole day," she said.
Pruner said Portage Health staff think the car seat clinic is an important community service.
"We want every child to leave a little safer than when they got here," she said.
Angela Luskin, Portage Health community health coordinator, said community service was the reason for the Health and Safety Fair.
Turnout for the first hour of the fourth annual event was about 400, which Luskin said was a little surprising.
"We had a tremendous turnout," she said.
Total attendance for the day was more than 500, Luskin said.
Many of those in attendance were taking advantage of the screenings, Luskin said, which included 10 clinics running during the day for total cholesterol, blood pressure, bone density, blood glucose, urine scan for proteins, body mass index, waist circumference, hearing, oxygen levels in the blood and heart rate.
During the event, 125 child bicycle helmets were given away, and Luskin said that went well, also.
"The youth helmet giveaway was extremely successful," she said.
One of the winners of the helmets was Dawn Maki, who said her two daughters, 10-year-old Niki and 7-year-old Katherine, each received one.
Maki said her family came to the health fair to take advantage of the free screenings, which turned out positive for them.
"So far, so good," she said.
One of the offerings at the event was a Benevolent Touch hand massage, which Marianne Berghefer said was popular during the day.
Berghefer, a Portage Health-certified hospice and palliative care nurse's assistant, said the massages aren't just for patients.
"It's a service we offer to our patients and family," she said. "We like to give (the family members) extra attention."
Taking care of a terminally ill family member is stressful, and Berghefer said the massages help relieve the stress.
Jim Bogan, Portage Health president and CEO, said he was pleased with the turnout for the Health and Safety Fair.
In the health care industry, Bogan said prevention and wellness are now receiving much attention, and that's the purpose of the event.
"We're just so happy to be able to offer the community this venue," he said. "Portage wants to move wellness up in terms of importance."
Bogan said the Health and Safety Fair will be a service the health care provider offers into the future.
"We will continue to do this," he said.
Susan Bushong said she's been to all four of the Health and Safety Fairs, and she especially likes the fact the various screenings are offered free.
"I think it's a really good thing they do," she said.