Women's Health Fair to Offer Free Screenings, Therapy Dogs, More
Our Daily Show Interview! OSF'S First Ever Women's Health Fair on May 7th from 3-5!
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ALTON - OSF Moeller Cancer Center will host their inaugural Women’s Health Fair to kick off Women’s Health Month.
From 3–5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, community members can stop by the Moeller Cancer Center in Alton for free breast exams, skin cancer screenings, genetic testing, cholesterol and glucose testing, blood pressure readings and more. Jill Pruitt, oncology services navigator, and Dana Matesa, cancer care coordinator, explained that the goal is to provide free services to women and remind them to take care of themselves.
“We wanted to do it around Mother’s Day,” Pruitt said. “Women just are so busy taking care of everybody that sometimes we forget about ourselves. So we thought it would be a good idea to do it.”
There are only 32 slots available for the breast cancer screenings; you must register for a slot by calling 618-433-7610 to make an appointment. Every other service is available on a walk-in basis.
Several vendors will be onsite, including Illinois Breast and Cervical Program, and OSF mission partners. Patients who smoke can undergo low-dose CT lung cancer screenings. Colin Solomon, a nurse with OSF Medical Group, will provide skin cancer screenings.
The genetic testing is provided by Myriad. At the health fair, you can complete paperwork to see if you qualify for testing, and a phlebotomist will draw a sample and provide more information about this testing if you’re eligible.
The OSF OnCall van will offer cholesterol and glucose testing. Southern Illinois Healthcare will provide blood pressure readings. St. Anthony’s Psychological Services Department will be on hand to offer depression and anxiety screenings.
There will also be snacks available and several gift baskets and raffle items. Pruitt and Matesa are most looking forward to the massage chairs and the therapy dogs that will be onsite for attendees to enjoy.
“That’s a little bit of the therapeutic stuff, the mom side of it, with the therapy dog and the massage chair,” Matesa said. “They get a little bit of pampering in, too, while they’re there.”
Those who do not have a primary care physician can also take the opportunity to set up an appointment with a primary care physician. Matesa and Pruitt emphasize that the goal is to provide as many screenings and services as possible in one place, making it easier for women to take care of themselves and prioritize their health.
“You have to take care of yourself,” Pruitt added. “You’re responsible for your body, and you have to take care of yourself.”
For more information about the Women’s Health Fair, call 618-474-6766 or click here. To learn more about OSF Healthcare, visit their official website at OSFHealthcare.org.
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