The Belle Fourche Rec Center held its 11th annual Wellness Fair on Saturday, April 5. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 33 vendors from local businesses, organizations, and health centers were set up at booths in the gym. The event was free to the public and included giveaways and door prizes, discounted wellness labs from Monument Health, a Vitalant blood drive, kids’ zone, fitness class promos, rec center membership specials, and discounted summer swim lesson sign-ups.
“We’re here to promote health in the community, but not just from the physical standpoint. You know, it’s all aspects of wellness, the whole person,” said Tessa Anderson-Voyles, Program Coordinator. “So that’s why we have all sorts of great booths here, whether it be mental health, physical, spiritual, nutritional things, social things, volunteerism and all those aspects.”
Dr. Nick Czosnyka, General Surgeon at Monument Health Spearfish, said “I think it’s important for us to let people know what services are available in their community. It’s always a little surprising. Maybe someone doesn’t even realize we can do colonoscopies in Spearfish, and they think they have to go to Rapid City, right? So there’s a lot of services that are right next door that maybe, for whatever reason, people just aren’t aware of that.” He added, “Being present in the community, I think it shows that we’re available to help them and answer questions and just really kind of make sure they know it’s available.”
Monument Health’s Lab on Demand booth, which provided discounted blood panels to attendees, was a big draw. “They’re called Lab on Demand, and they can be done anytime, not just at the Wellness Fair,” explained Michelle Jensen of Monument Health Belle Fourche. “They’re discounted labs. And it’s kind of like you get to choose what works for you. You can check your B-12, you can check your Vitamin D, we have a hormone panel, we have a wellness panel. So it’s kind of like à la carte,” she said. If someone wants to take advantage of Lab on Demand, they are available at all of the local Monument Health clinics—Belle Fourche, Spearfish, and Sturgis. No doctor’s orders are required; the labs can be done at one’s own discretion.
Additionally, the Wellness Fair included booths from organizations like the VFW, Belle Fourche Community Theater, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Black Hills Road Trip of Hope, and the Belle Fourche Police Department and Volunteer Fire Department. Officer Ryan Duprel of the BFPD spent the day teaching people about the importance of physical fitness, especially within law enforcement. “What I’m talking to people about today is being physically fit and how physical fitness is good for your mental health and everything like that,” he said. Police officers wear 25-pound vests every day while on shift. “Wearing these things all day isn’t easy,” said Duprel. “Then you add you gun belt to it, which is about another 10 to 15 pounds. It’s a lot of weight, so by the end, you’re wearing an extra 50 pounds. Being physically fit is very important in law enforcement.”
With a strong turnout, a wide range of services, and a focus on whole-person wellness, the Belle Fourche Wellness Fair once again proved to be a valuable tradition within the community.
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