Dr. Eric Cornidez will bring an actual spinal stimulation implant and patients who have worn them successfully.
Phyllis Ketring
The annual health Fair will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Shuttles will run between the two clubhouses every ten minutes, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, as well.
This year’s health fair will feature two new vaccines: Shingrix and hepatitis A.
Both Walgreens and HealthWaves have a limited supply of the new and scarce Shingrix vaccine for shingles. Both providers require advance reservations. To make arrangements, call Walgreens Pharmacy (on First and Rancho Vistoso Blvd.) at 520-531-8537. Most Medicare Part D plans provide coverage, and Walgreens accepts most plans.
Call HealthWaves at 480-968-1886 to reserve the Shingrix shot from them. They accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Arizona and cash. Shingrix is a two-part shot with two to six months in between shots. Both dosages are identical.
HealthWaves will also offer the hepatitis A vaccine for the first time. There has been a recent uptick in the highly infectious hepatitis A virus. While children receive the vaccine routinely, it is optional for adults based on certain risk factors including traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common, use of illegal drugs, a man who has sex with other men, chronic liver disease, or clotting disorder.
Call 480-968-1886 to reserve the hepatitis A vaccine. Always check with your physician to be sure any vaccine is right for you.
The entire immunization unit will be in the MountainView classrooms. Flu, pneumonia, and pneumonia boosters will be available as usual. HealthWaves will do the official lab testing as in the past. If you’re monitoring your thyroid, hemoglobin A1C or prostate, visit HealthWaves. They will also do comprehensive blood count, blood work for rheumatoid arthritis, and C-reactive protein and test for allergies. No prescription is needed for these tests.
While you’re getting your flu shots, be sure to visit the Sonoran room at MountainView where local doctors will be making presentations. The 9:00 a.m. presentation will address chronic and severe back pain. Dr. Eric Cornidez of the Pain Institute of Southern Arizona (PISA) will bring a spinal cord stimulator and a spine sculpture to demonstrate how it works. If you or someone you know suffers from debilitating back pain, this presentation will be invaluable. Dr. Cornidez plans to bring actual patients with spinal cord stimulators so they can discuss their experience and how it helped improve their quality of life.
Since the immunization unit and mini-lectures are at MountainView, there will be even more exhibitors at SaddleBrooke One. The free skin cancer screenings and U of A pharmacy services will be there. You’ll find most of your favorite regulars and several new exhibitors. Bring expired drugs and old eyeglasses. Have your blood pressure checked, get a massage, and learn about medical and senior services in our area.
The shuttles run every ten minutes between the two clubhouses to make it easy to go back and forth between screenings, exhibits, and lectures. Volunteers on the shuttles will have information on the time of mini-lectures and location of exhibits to make our expanded arrangement simpler to navigate. The information booth at SaddleBrooke One is located at the hostess station to help you find exhibitors there.
Parking for golf carts and cars with handicap stickers is at SaddleBrooke One. All other parking is in the MountainView parking lot.
Together, we will face the challenges of expansion to make the health fair not only bigger, but better. Make it an eventful day, and have lunch at the Road Runner Grill or the MountainView Bar and Grill.
Updated and detailed information can be found at www.sbseniors.org, under the “Health Fair” tab.