Women 4 Wellness filled the Joe McDonald Health and Fitness Center May 21, as it has every year since 2009. The event focuses on health education and disease prevention by offering free or low-cost health screenings and information designed specifically for women, according to its mission statement.

The Women 4 Wellness website is open before the event so women can preregister and be ready to collect their complimentary tote bag and registration “bracelet” before heading into the building to take advantage of a wide variety of assessments, exams and swag. Among the offerings are screenings for varicose veins and vision, physical therapy, EKGs and cervical screens, manual breast exams, dental exams, bone ultrasound density screens, full body skin exams, on-site vaccinations, STD testing, and blood screening vouchers.

One woman named Debbie said she had to wait for a full body skin check, but it was worth it to her because her insurance wouldn’t cover the assessment. A woman standing nearby, also in the waiting area, said she didn’t have a car, so she was glad to come with a friend. She was waiting for an immunization and a bone-density test.

Down at the south end of the Joe was a huge medical inflatable of a colon. Women 4 Wellness goers could see polyps, the difference between healthy and diseased colon tissue, colon cancer, and, yes, even a hemorrhoid.

Many other healthcare providers and community organizations were stationed along the aisles. Representatives from Providence St. Joseph Hospital, St. Luke Community Healthcare and Logan Health were all on hand, sharing information and friendly faces. Everything from insurance services to counseling to suicide prevention to Zumba classes to bra fittings and cosmetics were available.

Teenagers Jennadee and Zoey offered a spin-the-wheel game with questions about preventing and recognizing drug use. If a spinner answered the question correctly, she received a candy surprise.

The young women were also raising funds for a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet other Boys and Girls Club members and discuss the problems in their communities.

“Last year it was fires,” Jennadee said. “This year it’s the drug problem.”

Salish Kootenai College Center for Prevention and Wellness organizes Women 4 Wellness, and attribute the event’s success to their many sponsors. Learn more at w4w.skc.edu.

    Women of all ages lined the tables at Women 4 Wellness, getting information, or requesting am assessment or an exam. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)