Bodies littered the ground at the Dallas County Hospital’s annual Health Fair—plastic bodies, that is, set up for demonstrating and teaching the latest CPR techniques. The CPR display was one of multiple booths that each focused on different facets of healthcare, staffed by Dallas County Hospital medical professionals.
Information was available about various services offered by the hospital, including a diabetes prevention program and diabetic support group, ambulatory care for various conditions and community education classes on subjects as varied as CPR, low-impact workouts and Tai Chi.
One new service highlighted at the Health Fair was home sleep testing, which allows patients to use a portable sleep diagnostic device at home. It’s only been available for a couple of months.
“It’s about a sixth of the cost of [sleep testing at] the hospital,” said Audrey Erickson, ancillary services manager for Dallas County Hospital. “It’s been approved by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. We can’t do it when somebody’s had a stroke or really severe heart disease, but if they’re fairly hale and hearty, we can do it. Just have to have a doctor’s order for it.”
Participants at the Health Fair could get their blood pressure and blood sugar tested on-site, as well as having their blood type checked. Free blood pressure checks are also available every Thursday from 10-11 a.m. in the DCH South Atrium.
