Chamber’s Health & Wellness Fair returns this weekend

The Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce will present the 7th Annual Community Health & Wellness Fair hosted by Fitness Formula Clubs (FFC) of Oak Park on April 23. Featuring more than 80 local service providers and vendors, health screenings, activities and more. This event is free to the public. It is open to anyone in Oak Park, River Forest and all surrounding communities.

This will be the third time in 7 years that the Chamber has hosted its Community Health & Wellness Fair at FFC. The downtown Oak Park location offers plenty of space for vendors, engaging kids activities, elevator access and nearby free parking (in the Holley Court Parking Garage directly behind FFC).

While the goal of the fair has always been to provide opportunities for local businesses to feature their services, an additional focus for this year’s event is to expand the event’s reach on a regional level to the benefit of surrounding municipalities. The theme of providing access to quality health services as well as education on wellness has resonated

This year’s fair will include a record number of free health screenings and services from participants that include RUSH Oak Park Hospital, Riveredge Hospital, West Suburban Medical Center, the University of Illinois Cancer Center, B-Health, and many more. It is anticipated that visitors will come from surrounding cities and villages including Chicago, Berwyn, Cicero, Forest Park, River Forest, Maywood, Elmwood Park, Broadview and more.

“RUSH Oak Park Hospital is proud to once again be the exclusive Presenting Sponsor for the 7th Oak Park River Forest Chamber’s Annual Community Health & Wellness Fair,” says Caroline Heskett, program manager for the Office of Community Health Equity & Engagement at RUSH Oak Park Hospital. “We look forward to this event every year to connect with the communities we serve and to provide health education and screenings.” This year RUSH will be offering the following screenings: blood pressure, glucose, A1C, DEXA Scan and comprehensive cardiac screening. Doctors will also be on-site to explain test results.

The fair is the perfect place to come as a family, and take advantage of the open climbing wall, free child care and fun activities throughout the event. Local school districts have all committed to advertising the event and encouraging their families to participate. The Chamber is also working closely with the Townships in both Oak Park and River Forest to engage older adults and to provide transportation to the event. “Battling isolation and staying part of an active community can often be difficult for our senior community” said Liz Holt, the Chamber’s Executive Director. “We are committed to offering opportunities for everyone to join us for the day and just enjoy themselves. And if you can strike a few to-do items off your stay-healthy list, well then that’s a bonus!”

For the first time the event will also be partnering with Downtown Oak Park to bring every attendee a DTOP Passport that they can use after the event to get food and drink specials at surrounding local eateries. Darien Marion Burton, the Chamber’s President, said “It is part of our Chamber mission to work for the wellbeing of the entire business community, and this partnership is a perfect way of guiding our guests from the fair to stay in the surrounding area.”

“What I have been able to witness over the past two months has been nothing short of astonishing” said B-Health’s Sam Yousif, also the chair of the Health & Wellness Fair “A collective group of local and regional health care providers, ranging from our largest hospitals to individual therapists coming together to offer and showcase their resources to both our local and regional communities. These services will be complementary to the youngest and oldest among us and most importantly to those who are underserved and those without resources.”