SEQUIM — Massages, blood pressure checks, information on conquering substance-abuse afflictions.
These — and other offerings — were available Saturday at the North Olympic Peninsula Health Fair, held at Sequim High School and attended by a wide variety of health consumers.
The fair drew hundreds of attendees — many of which showed up a half-hour before its scheduled 10 a.m. start.
It showcased a blossoming industry in Clallam County, which boasts a strong regional medical center and a large number of private-practice health care providers.
Marilyn Stanford appreciates that, but she came for more practical advice on how to cope with her elderly mother’s future care.
“My mother is 89, and she does pretty well where she’s at,” Stanford said.
“But that won’t always be the case. And I’m just looking ahead to the next step.
“I want to be ready because at some point she’s going to need a lot more help,” she said.
Booths manned by representatives from care facilities, chiropractic offices, mental health clinics and a seemingly endless array of traditional health-based entities packed the high school gymnasium.
Free health screenings by chiropractors, ophthalmologists, dentists, podiatrists and other medical providers were available for anyone willing to move to the school’s cafeteria.
Even a mental health care entity offered information on detecting and treating emotional disorders.