CFVH event provides free info, screenings

The fourth annual health fair, free to the community, took place at the Plains High School gym last Thursday. The event seeks to help individuals gain more knowledge about becoming healthier by engaging in conversation and providing basic, preventative medical screenings, which included: blood pressure, body analysis and blood glucose. Participants also received a free cholesterol screening voucher, along with a free mammogram from Clark Fork Valley Hospital. Aria Mangan, Community Health Improvement Specialist at the Clark Fork Valley Hospital and a volunteer for the event said, "there are 18 different vendors participating, all from different organizations. While this is our fourth year doing this, it's our first year in the Plains High School gym, and we usually see around 90 people come in."

Among the vendors at the health fair, Sandra Gubel, Tobacco Control and Prevention Specialist for Sanders County Public Health, was there to share knowledge about the dangers of nicotine and what kind of damage it's doing to the younger generation. The Juul device seems to be all the rage amongst teens and young adults because of its sleek appearance, USB adaptable charger, and the numerous flavors you can choose from, Gubel noted. Juul is an electronic device that serves as a smoking alternative that shares a similar nicotine effect that one would receive from vaping or smoking a cigarette. While there are only 12 grams of nicotine in a single cigarette, there are 59 grams of nicotine in a single Juul cartridge. This can cause significant brain damage, particularly to anyone under the age of 25, because a human brain does not fully develop until it reaches that age. Montana governor Steve Bullock, has issued a temporary sales ban on flavored e-cigarettes and vaping devices that went into effect Tuesday.

Another organization that showed its presence at Thursday's health fair was the Cancer Network of Sanders County (CNSC). While there are organizations that cater to one specific type of cancer, CNSC provides support to all types of cancer. The funds that are raised during their events go to not only people's medical and travel expenses, but to anything the individual needs help with. Whether that is rent or a car payment, the allocated funds are there to give relief in any way they can.

Joyce Dougan and Sherryl Wachob, volunteers at the CNSC booth, wanted to highlight a specific event they have coming up. During the CNSC Lantern Launch, paper lanterns are set free into the night's sky, written on these lanterns are anyone or anything you have lost along the way. It can be a name in honor of someone you have lost to cancer, it can be the number of pounds you have worked hard to get rid of, or it can a drawing of something just for fun. The event is open to everyone, and will take place on November 30, starting at 6 p.m. at the Sanders County Fairgrounds. For more information and a list of locations to buy your lanterns ($10 each), call 826-6163 or 826-4278. Volunteer opportunities are always available for the CNSC fundraisers.

For more information, go to http://www.cancernetworksanderscounty.org.

**Photo caption: Sherryl Wachob manning the booth for the Cancer Network of Sanders County.