The annual Pike County Health Fair sponsored by the Pike County Cooperative Extension Service and Pike County Farm Bureau will be held from 7 to 11 a.m. Feb. 18 at Pike County High School on U.S. Highway 19 in Zebulon.

Once again, the event will offer a variety of health screenings, many at little or no cost to participants.

Among the free services being offered are hearing and vision screenings, blood-pressure monitoring, body mass index calculations, carpal tunnel and pulmonary function evaluations, diabetic foot exams, posture and balance assessments, bone-density calculations and Cholestech and colon home EZ detect kits.

“The EZ home kit is a test for colon cancer. That’s a new test this year. Spalding Regional Medical Center will be offering it. Participants will pick up the test and take it home. All they have to do is follow the directions in the privacy of their homes and the kit will tell them what they need to do to follow up on the results,” said event coordinator and Pike County Family and Consumer Science Agent Helen Carter. “Also new this year is the Cholestech test. It’s a combined screening for total cholesterol and blood glucose and participants will get their results immediately at the health fair.”

Upson Regional Medical Center representatives will also be on hand, providing services for a slight fee, such as fasting blood sugar and lipid profile for $10; thyroid stimulating hormone for $5; prostate screening antigen (PSA) tests for men for $5, colorectal cancer screening kit for $5; and EKGs for $10.

Participants who wish to take advantage of the blood tests being offered are encouraged to come early, as an eight-hour fast is necessary for most accurate results.

Upson Regional Medical Center will send lab test results from the health fair directly to participants, but hospital officials say these reports should be taken to private health-care providers for review, regardless of the findings.

According to Carter, approximately 45 providers will be present to provide a variety of health care-related information to consumers.

“We try to do the health fair as a low-cost alternative for people who may not be able to afford the screenings through a doctor’s office,” Carter said. “There are a lot of services being offered here that may help detect issues that may potentially be a health problem for them. The health fair allows them to get a health check-up, and hopefully, if they have a screening that is of concern, they will follow up with their health-care provider.”