Baptist-North Mississippi to Host Annual Back-to-School Children's Health Fair

Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford will host the annual Back-to-School Children’s Health Fair on Saturday, August 23, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Oxford Conference Center.
The health fair is open to children ages infant to twelve years old, who must be accompanied by an adult. The event is free to the public.
“This year’s theme is ‘Under the Sea’, with 50 vendors, giveaways, activities, and refreshments,” said Jennifer Eastland, Community Relations Coordinator at Baptist-North Mississippi. “The health fair is an excellent opportunity for children to receive free screenings and information on health, nutrition and safety.”
Health screenings include developmental, dental and hearing. Children will learn about fire and forest fire safety, crime and drug prevention, bike safety and be able to tour an ambulance, fire truck and the Hospital Wing helicopter. Vendors will provide door prizes, arts and crafts projects, and safety, health and nutritional information. Special guests will be Ole Miss Rebel Bear, Stan the Bear, Smokey the Bear, and a magician performing magic shows. New to this year’s event is parenting and child literacy workshops sponsored by the LOU Excel by 5 Coalition. There will also be vendors with information for parents and guardians on insurance, development, literacy, intervention programs, exercise programs, child sports and recreation, and health and nutrition programs. The Oxford Police Department will provide free car seat safety checks.
Baptist-North Mississippi will provide giveaways distributed on a first come, first served basis including lunch coolers, water bottles, school supply kits, band aids, bike reflectors, hot dogs, fresh fruit, and some vendors will provide various other school and health related items.
Baptist-North Mississippi will also have hospital representatives providing information on diabetes and childhood obesity, nutrition, hand-washing and infection control, first aid, bike safety, and nurses from the Women’s and Pediatrics’ Pavilion, Emergency Department, and Morrison’s Food Services.
“As a healthcare leader, it is our responsibility to lead wellness initiatives in our community. We want our community to know that this organization cares about their well-being. By educating children at a young age to make healthy lifestyle choices, the chances increase that they will continue to make the right choices throughout their lifetime,” says Bill Henning, CEO of Baptist – North Mississippi. “Baptist has hosted the Children’s Health Fair for years and has been pleased to see our attendance increase significantly. Five years ago, we had approximately 60 attendees and last year we hosted over 1,200 children and adults. It is a great family event that offers great health resources to our community and is a fun event for everyone.”
Baptist North Mississippi is a 217-bed hospital that offers a variety of services, including cardiovascular surgery, Neurosurgery, the Baptist Cancer Center and a 24-hour emergency room. Since the hospital became affiliated with Baptist Memorial Health Care in 1989, Baptist has invested more than $140 million into the facility. In 2012, Baptist announced plans for building a new hospital for Baptist North Mississippi. For more information, please call 662-232-8100 or visit northmiss.baptistonline.org.

Baptist-Memorial Hospital of North Mississippi is located at 2301 South Lamar in Oxford