Columbia Falls High School and local health providers will be looking to spark more interest in personal well-being and preventing illness Thursday as the school hosts the Blue Waves and Sun Rays Community Health Fair.

The Hawaiian-themed fair will be open to students from 1-3 p.m. and to the public from 4-7 p.m. and will feature more than 30 local healthcare providers and organizations.

“We are hoping to connect community members with various members in the Healthcare Community to keep people well and prevent illness,” Nurse Practitioner and event organizer Brittany Coburn said. “By combining nutritionists, physical therapists, primary care providers and mental health providers in one space, we can work together to address the various needs of those in our community.”

According to School District 6 Student and Family Advocate/Homeless Liaison Tamara Sundberg, 35 groups have already signed up for booths at the fair, including Cedar West Dentistry, Imagine Health, JIM, True Potential Chiropractic, United Way, Child Bridge, Flathead County Health Department, MBI -IGraduate , Frontier Hospice and more. There will also be a number of interactive learning opportunities for visitors, including balance and strength testing, a roll-over simulator, mock DUI sobriety testing and more.

Many booths will be offering free samples and healthy snacks and Sundberg says there will be fresh fruit and vegetables available as well as door prizes and raffles.

The North Valley Hospital School Based Clinic is partnering with the school to put on the event.

“Prevention is key and our goal of this Health Fair is to help educate the community on maintaining health and preventing further illness,” Coburn said.

For more information, contact Sundberg at 406-892-6500 ext. 5201.