Chamber hopes to screen 300 people at HealthSmart

The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce is hoping record number of people will take advantage of free health screenings at this year's HealthSmart Interactive Wellness Expo on Wednesday.<br /> <br /> Physicians from The Longstreet Clinic will be on hand to review the screenings with patients and to answer questions. The HealthSmart Expo runs from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Gainesville Civic Center.<br /> <br /> Kit Dunlap, president of the chamber, said organizers have set a goal of 300 people for the screenings, which will check Blood Pressure Checks, Body Mass Index Calculation, Venous Reflux Screening, Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Glucose (sugar) Testing and more. A person must be 18 or older to be screened.<br /> <br /> The first 100 people who get screened and who bring a friend or co-worker with them will receive a free T-shirt, Dunlap said.<br /> <br /> The screenings are free, and Dr. Eileen Javellana, an internist with Comprehensive Care at The Longstreet Clinic, said the screenings are ideal for anyone who doesn't current have a primary care physician. But she added that even those who get regular care can learn something from the screenings.<br /> <br /> "Obviously, we're trying to get people who are not attached to anyone at this point, in terms of not having any health care at all," Javellana said. "As a hospitalist, I see a lot of people who are at the other end of it, who have not seen a doctor for so long and we bring them into the hospital and they say, 'Oh, now I have high blood pressure and diabetes and you gave me all these diseases.' Well, we didn't give them to you. You had them, but nobody knew about it."<br /> <br /> Javellana said the screenings wouldn't be much different than going for a regular doctor's visit. <br /> <br /> "When you arrive, you'll sit down with the docs or a provider and we'll get a brief history from you, just like we'd do in an office," she said. "Then we will check your blood pressure, your blood sugar and your cholesterol, just like a mini doctor's office."<br /> <br /> Javellana said medical equipment will be available to do the blood work, and physicians will be able to discuss the results and make any other recommendations.<br /> <br /> "That's the whole purpose of health screenings, to look for problems a person might be having," she said. "My thought on that has always been you are a complicated machine. Well, you bring your car to get tuned up and belts changed out and get your oil change, you get you tired rotated. You are a far more complex machine than a car, so you need a lot more maintenance."<br /> <br /> Over 60 wellness businesses and vendors will be on hand for the HealthSmart Expo, Dunlap said. The Chamber will also name the "Most Fit Companies" in Gainesville-Hall County. The award is presented in three categories

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