Vendors

• Discuss which committee or committees will handle vendors
• Create master list of all vendors with contact information, such as name, address, phone numbers and email addresses
• Have a contact number for each vendor for the day of the health fair
• Have a contract or an agreement with each vendor as to the date and time of health fair
• Know which employees/volunteers will be working during the health fair
• Get a list of their special needs, such as electrical outlets, equipment, Internet connection

Public and Community Relations Subcommittee

Promotion of health fair needs to be started between 4-6 months before the event. A timeline needs to be generated to allow for advertising and time for quality publicity materials, such as posters and fliers to be prepared. When developing a list of places to advertise with, check their submission deadlines.

It is also a good idea to notify police and fire departments of the event. They may even be able to come and provide programs, such as fire safety or fingerprinting of children.

When you think of creating fliers and posters and soliciting prizes/giveaways, think health, since this is a health fair, focus on health.

Promotion/Publicity Subcommittee considerations:

• Put notices in bulletin
• Encourage minister to announce the event during worship
• Have a person from the health committee share details about the event during worship
• Write an article for the church newsletter
• Print posters
• Write articles for local newspaper
• Write Public Service Announcement (PSA) for TV and radio
• Post fliers in local businesses
• Put information at local library
• Have event added to local community calendar (if one exists)
• Solicit and publicize list of prizes
• Produce T-shirts or visors

Facilities/Site Preparation Subcommittee

This subcommittee is responsible for many items. Issues of booth setups, parking, equipment and electrical needs, security and adequate restroom facilities come under this subcommittee. Decisions will need to be made early in the process about location and if it will be inside, outside or both. If any part of the health fair is outside, contingency plans need to be made in case of bad weather. Also, there needs to be preparation in case the weather is hot. Water and possibly sunscreen need to be easily accessible. The majority of the physical work will take place a couple of days before and the day of the event due to set-up, parking and cleanup.

Facilities/Site Preparation Subcommittee considerations:

Space Issues

• What are the electrical needs of the vendors? Do they need electricity and/or an Internet connection? (This will limit where some of the booths/tables can be placed).
• How do you want to arrange booths/tables? Do you plan on keeping organizations that do screenings, food and information together or does that make a difference?
• Create diagram/layout of the booths to make sure that there is enough room.

Tables and chairs

• How many will be needed?
• Will they be covered or will vendors cover?

Parking

• Who will oversee parking the day of the event?
• Check to see if nearby lot will be available.
• Will street parking be available?
• Make arrangements with parking garage for overflow parking (if nearby).

Clean-up

• Where do the vendors deposit their trash?
• Who is going to set up/take down the tables and chairs?
• Who takes down the decorations and posters?
• Who takes out the trash?
• Do you need to order extra trash cans?

Restroom facilities

• Are there enough restrooms?
• Do additional paper products need to be ordered?

Clinical/Screening Subcommittee

The clinical/screening subcommittee determines which screenings are needed based on the results of the assessment. A screening test is aimed at providing information regarding signs and symptoms of disease and educating individuals regarding their own risk factors and their family members. This makes screening programs attractive as they offer a tangible service that is hard to ignore. It is a "teachable moment." A person may be receptive to information about hypertension for instance, at the moment his or her blood pressure is being taken. They occasionally demonstrate the presence of a disease.

The clinical subcommittee needs to find appropriate providers to conduct the screening and make sure universal precautions are followed. Providers will give results and provide follow-up suggestions to participants. Provisions must be made for situations when someone's blood pressure or blood sugar is found to be dangerously high during the health fair.

It is important to make sure a follow-up procedure is in place if a participant receives a high result/value. There needs to someone on site, such as a nurse, who can respond to the situation by providing education about the situation. A list of places to go to get follow-up care needs to be available. If the results/values are extremely high, then arrangements need to be made to get the person to the hospital or immediate care facility. After the health fair is over, send out a follow-up letter to the people with high results/value to remind them to go to the doctor for care. This may be done by the agency/hospital conducting the screenings.

Types of screenings which can be offered:

• blood cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides)
• blood glucose
• blood pressure
• skin cancer
• lung capacity
• vision/glaucoma screening
• hearing tests
• body fat
• bone density

Health Education Subcommittee

Health education is an important component of the health fair. Therefore, much thought should be given to planning effective health education activities. Volunteer agencies, such as the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society, are excellent sources of educational materials. Staff from these agencies can provide information about risk factors, prevention and screenings of the diseases that they represent.

When developing educational materials or presentations keep the following in mind:

• Do not include too much material; you may lose your audience. Set priorities.
• Make sure material is geared to the education and age level of attendees.
• Present the message so that it is easily read and understood.

Print a schedule of these presentations as part of the pre-fair publicity and announce this schedule often during the day of the fair.

Food/Refreshment Subcommittee

Focusing and presenting "healthy" foods would be appropriate. For example, oat bran muffins, bagels with low-fat/no-fat cream cheese, fruit cups, apples, juices, smoothies, non-fat frozen yogurt cones and no- or low-fat cookies.

Ideas:

• Contact the local health food store and see if they would be willing to provide food products, do a cooking demonstration and/or provide samples of foods they sell or serve
• Provide a healthy meal demonstration
• Have a foods table with healthy and not so healthy choices.
• Educate about the food labels
• Hand out low-fat and low-sugar recipes
• Have a bake sale and include the recipes