Nevada R-5 holds annual employee health fair

Robert Fearnow drives right over a traffic cone while participating in the beer goggles driving course at the Nevada High School on Tuesday as part of the school district's annual employee health fair. Fearnow and many others wore goggles meant to simulate the effects of driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.06, two points less than the legal state limit. Most drivers had trouble negotiating the simple in and out course while under the influence of the goggles. Photo by Rusty Murry/Daily Mail.

Nevada Daily Mail

Almost all of the Nevada R-5 School District's 384 employees paid a visit to the district's annual health fair on Tuesday. The fair is a way for employees and the district to help ensure and monitor "the health and wellness" of the district's staff, said Kora Anderson, director of the district's health services.

The fair included vendors from area agencies, displays and interactive activities lasting throughout the day. Booths were set up and manned by personnel from the YMCA, the Nevada Regional Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, insurance agencies and other health and fitness organizations. There were some free items, and several prizes provided by local businesses were given away.

Each employee attending was given the opportunity to have a biometric health screening in which employees undergo a finger stick for a sample of blood which gives information on cholesterol, blood sugar levels and other overall health indicators. The screening also included blood pressure checks and an online assessment of health risk factors like stress. Data from the checks is used to create a pool of information about the overall health picture of district employees.

One aspect of the fair was the "Arrive Alive" campaign which encourages students, administrators and faculty members to always buckle their safety belts and abstain from texting and driving and other risky driving habits. As part of the arrive alive campaign, many of the teachers and others purchased T-shirts to support the effort. A display was set up in front of the school that showed a destroyed vehicle in which the belted-in driver survived and a much less damaged vehicle in which the driver was killed. The display pointed out the impact of using safety belts in a real and jolting manner.

Across the road, near the district administration building, the Missouri Department of Transport-tation and the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety had a simulated drunk driving course set up where participants could wear a set of "beer goggles" simulating an intoxication level of 0.06, two points below the state's legal limit for driving while intoxicated. Participants did not fare well when it came to negotiating a series of traffic cones on sit-down pedal bikes.

The health fair has been conducted for several years, and according to the district's health coordinator Crystal Burch, has been well supported by superintendent Dr. David Stephens, who is an avid runner and encourages a healthy lifestyle. Burch said the whole point of the fair was to heighten awareness. "We want to keep our staff healthy," she said, "if they aren't healthy, they can't help our kids."