By Keysha Drexel
Journal editor
Vestavia Hills residents looking for advice on how to make healthy lifestyle changes will have a chance to ask the experts during a community-wide event this weekend.
The second annual Vestavia Hills Health and Wellness Fair, coordinated by the city of Vestavia Hills, will be from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. May 3 at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center gymnasium on the corner of Merryvale Road and U.S. 31 South.
“The main goal is to help educate people who want to achieve or maintain a healthy lifestyle,” said Lt. Scott Ferrell with the Vestavia Hills Fire Department. “It’s just another effort to make Vestavia Hills even better.”
The fire department is coordinating a new event for this year’s health and wellness fair, Ferrell said.
The department is hosting a family run/walk that starts and ends at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center before the health and wellness fair.
“The run is an effort to increase the participation in the health and wellness fair this year,” Ferrell said. “The run starts at 8 a.m. and so we’re hoping after people finish, they will come straight from there to check out the health fair,” he said.
Ferrell said the fair will feature about 40 vendors.
“Trinity (Medical Center) is our main sponsor, and they will have folks there checking cholesterol, blood sugar and Body Mass Index, and there will be a wide variety of vendors including a gym or two and those offering senior services,” he said.
The other sponsors of the event are Brookdale Living and Sonology Hearing Aid Clinic, Ferrell said.
The Vestavia Hills Police Department will also host a prescription drug take-back day during the health and wellness fair, Ferrell said.
The police department will collect expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs for disposal.
The police department has held several prescription drug take-back days in the last few years in an effort to help residents rid their homes of prescription drugs that could be abused.
Authorities say flushing drugs down the toilet or throwing them in the trashcan can pose potential health hazards.
Ferrell said the city hopes the health and wellness fair continues to grow each year.
“As long as it’s helping people, we want to keep it going,” he said.
For more information on the second annual Vestavia Hills Health and Wellness Fair, contact Ferrell at [email protected].
