Taylorsville, NC – It’s 5:30am on the morning of June 11th. Dew-covered canopy tents spread across the grounds. Frye Regional Medical Center employees scurry about setting up booths, tables, and decorations for the day’s events. The caterers set out the fruit and pastries; the coffee is brewing. Alexander Campus nurses ready their blood pressure cuffs. Lab technicians organize their equipment.
7:00am. Welcome to Frye Regional Medical Center’s Alexander Campus Spring Health Fair! Alexander residents are lined up out the door ready for their free glucose & cholesterol screenings and blood pressure checks. The available 180 appointments were completely booked a week ahead of time. Approximately 40 walk-ins are welcomed for a total of 220 screening participants.
As the crowd moves through the screenings, they walk out to the informational booths. Information and give-aways are available from FRMC regarding diabetes management, surgical weight loss, cancer, heart, vein & wound care and more. Alexander County Red Cross as well as Hospice also provide information for community residents.
10:00am. Time for family, food, and fun! Games are set up for the kids. The bouncy house comes alive. The bluegrass band gets warmed up. The catering company hauls out an entire grilling operation complete with all fixings. Alexander County EMS, Fire Department, and Frye’s own Neonatal Transport Unit all show up to provide an opportunity for the public to view the equipment. Polaroids are taken of the kids in the different vehicles. A crafts booth is set up so that they can decorate their framed Polaroids with beads, glitter, and knick-knacks. The balloon lady works away at crafting balloon figures for the crowd of children surrounding her.
Nearly 500 plates of hamburgers and hotdogs are served. With tummies full, the Alexander Campus Spring Health Fair comes to an end. Frye Regional Medical Center and Alexander Campus thank the residents of Alexander County for making this event a success.
Frye Regional Medical Center is a 355-bed acute care facility located at 420 North Center Street in Hickory, NC. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Catawba County since 1911. The hospital’s main campus includes a comprehensive heart center and cardiac rehab, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, pediatrics, center for neurosciences, cancer center and women’s pavilion. Frye has several extended campuses to serve families throughout the area including: Frye Wellness and Education Center which houses the Center For Diabetes Self-Management Care, perinatal education and community wellness classes; South Campus for psychiatric services; Viewmont and Tate Surgery Centers; Vein and Wound Center/Infusion Care; Pain Center; Piedmont Therapy, offering sports and industrial rehabilitation; an urgent care facility; FryeCare, an outpatient diagnostic facility; Alexander Campus, which provides 24 hour emergency care along with diagnostic and laboratory services and infusion care; plus HealthPoint, which provides extensive industrial services and programs to employers.
Frye Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about the hospital, visit www.fryemedctr.com.