It was quite a turnout on Sunday at the Riverhouse on the Deschutes for the 2nd annual Bend Health Fair.
85 vendors ranging from massage therapists, to dentists, to supplement providers filled the room.
Hundreds came by to pick up swag bags and learn more about the healthcare resources available to them in our community.
“I feel like everybody is missing connections, connection with community,” said Crystal Ford, who runs the health fair. “So we wanted to bring doctors, practitioners, healthcare providers and health-related businesses together in one place to create an outlet to reach out to community and for the community to meet those doctors, practitioners, and health care providers to find out what kind of modalities are out there and available and to just create more connections within the community.”
Ford said the crowd had definitely grown since last year.
“It’s been very steady all day long,” she said. “We’ve had the Easter Bunny and Easter Egg Hunt. It’s a family-friendly event. So a lot of the community came out and I think it was a really fun time for everybody.”
The title sponsor, Market of Choice, had a booth last year and decided to increase their involvement after their positive experience.
“We really wanted to highlight our whole health department. We have experienced staff and we have natural products and we support local products significantly,” said Corbin Serano, the Assistant Store Manager at Bend’s Market of Choice location.
He said that after this year, they will definitely be involved with the health fair in the future.
“It’s been fantastic. The turnout is great. The energy is fantastic,” he said. “We’ve given away tons of products, tons of swag bags, hundreds of swag bags, and everyone is really appreciative and very excited to be here.”
The event may become bi-annual in the future.
Other sponsors included Deschutes Acupuncture, Metolius Hemp, Pacific Northwest Audiology, Evoke Healing Space, Hale Men’s Clinic, and Elevation Spine Center.
All of the funds from raffles and entry fees went to Family Access Network.
