PABLO - In honor of National Women's Health Week, area hospitals from Kalispell to Missoula took part in the Second Annual Women 4 Wellness Health Fair last Thursday at Salish Kootenai College's Joe McDonald Health and Fitness Center in Pablo.

Hosted by the SKC Prevention Task Force, the event was funded through federal grants from the Office on Woman's Health. More than 80 health care professionals were on hand to offer everything from advice to free screenings.

"Our goal is to educate women on health prevention and empower them to make healthy decisions," event organizer Niki Graham, Director of the Prevention Task Force, said.

Last year, 850 people registered to walk through the bustling gymnasium. This year, Graham said there were 700 registered by 1 p.m.

"It has been busy," Eva Anderson from Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health and Human Services said as she performed blood pressure exams. "That's been really good to see lots of people coming through - not only women, but men too."

St. Luke's Hospital in Ronan offered free carotid artery ultrasound screenings, which participants could later take to their doctors for further examination. Curious patients lined up sometimes ten-deep to see if they might be at risk for a stroke.

"A lot of times, people don't have symptoms until they already have a lot of plaque in their carotid," radiation imaging technician Melissa Moore said.

A full carotid exam, according to Moore, costs about $500. This screening, which should not be confused with a diagnosis, could give someone at risk just enough time to do something about it.

The University of Montana-Missoula gave bone density scans while other organizations provided HIV testing and counseling, full-body skin tests, glucose testing, mammograms and breast examinations. Local chiropractors provided free assessments and patrons had plenty of opportunities to get a free massage.

It's a long day for the vendors who arrived early in the morning and left well after the event ends at 5:30 p.m.

Polson physical therapist Shannon Nunlist provided informational material and advice for anyone suffering from a wide range of physical ailments or injuries.

"Even if I get just one referral from this, then it's worth it," she said.

In addition to the tables in the main gym, presenters spoke on topics such as sleep deprivation and heart disease, women's hormones, sexual assault and domestic violence at 45-minute intervals throughout the day.

Colorful T-shirts with powerful messages about sexual assault and domestic violence draped the entrance to the health fair. SKC's annual Clothesline Project served, once again, as a visual reminder that domestic abuse does, unfortunately, affect Lake County communities.

"It's about getting awareness out in a way to catch peoples' attention," Brook Spotted Eagle, SKC Victim Assistance Program advocate, said.

Shirts could be autobiographical, or not, but everyone was encouraged to contribute to the cause.

"We are trying to reach out and make a connection between the community at large and the tribe," Spotted Eagle said.

A good indicator of the event's success, according to Graham, was the response from vendors.

"They said people were asking very good questions and genuinely wanted to learn," she said. "This is the first time I've seen all major hospitals in western Montana come together and it's exciting to see so many health care professionals helping women."