Regional Health And Environmental Fair In Harwich On Saturday

 HARWICH – The health and conservation departments of Harwich, Chatham, Orleans and Eastham will jointly host a Regional Health & Environment Fair on Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Municipal Building on Sisson Road.

The event will bring together local organizations, public health professionals and environmental experts to share information and resources focused on community health, environmental stewardship and wellness across the Lower Cape.

This is the third annual health and environmental fair put on and the first regional one, bringing in health and environmental teams from the four towns, said Harwich Health Department Director Carrie Schoener. Last year’s fair was a great success, she said, drawing more than 100 people.

There will be health screening, coupled with health related talks, representatives of Barnstable County talking about recycling and an entomologist who will be focusing on ticks. Nurses from Barnstable County will be doing health screenings, including bone density, glucose, blood pressure and skin screening, according to Schoener. There will also be a large number of health and environmental vendors on hand.

Schoener said there will be activities for children, including Touch-A Truck with apparatus from the Harwich and Chatham Fire Departments, and other town departments. The Harwich Police Department will be doing car seat checks. There will also be food trucks and games for the youngsters. 

Environmental organizations will be handing out information and making presentations, said Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski. She said the annual Tour-De-Trash collection event will start at 9 a.m. and go to 11 a.m. Participants will return to the Cultural Arts Municipal Building.

Conservation department members will begin distributing 300 bare root trees and scrubs to attendees. The plants will include silky dogwood, witch hazel, tulip poplar and wildflower seeds. 

Educational presentations will begin at 11:30 a.m. when Kari Parcell, a recycling specialist with Barnstable County working with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, will speak about recycling and waste reduction efforts across Cape Cod and the Islands.

At 12:30 p.m., Hillary Greenberg-Lemos, Director of Health and Conservation for the Town of Eastham, will join Brianne Smith, LICSW and Director of Behavioral Health at Outer Cape Health Services, to present on mental health resources and the CredibleMind online mental health platform for the Lower Cape community.

At 1:30 p.m., Escher Cattle, Extension Educator for Entomology and Horticulture with Cape Cod Cooperative Extension at Barnstable County, will present on the Lone Star tick and tick safety.

The event is free and open to the public.