Health & Wellness Fair Sept. 13 at The Shops at Ithaca Mall

The Shops at Ithaca Mall will host a Health & Wellness Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, with more than 15 businesses and agencies who’ll provide visitors with information about health-related products and services.

The list of vendors includes the American Red Cross, which will provide certified CPR instructors who will provide free training in hands-only CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Participants of all ages are welcome to learn how to perform hands-only CPR.

“September is National Preparedness Month, and our ‘CPR Saturday’ gives us an opportunity to celebrate by giving Tompkins County residents free training that could save a loved one’s life,” said Carlos McCluskey, Manager of the American Red Cross of Tompkins County. “Research has shown that continuous hands-only CPR can be effective in caring for a person with no signs of life when a rescuer is unable, untrained or unwilling to perform full CPR.”

Red Cross staff and volunteers at The Shops will also provide visitors with information on how to create a disaster plan for their household that will keep their families safe during all emergencies, from house fires to floods.

Other vendors at the Health & Wellness Fair include Planet Fitness, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; American Laser Skincare; Cancer Services Program; Cayuga Medical Center; Finger Lakes School of Massage; Five Star Urgent Care; Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous; Guiding Eyes for the Blind; ID Life; It Works! (skin care and nutrition); Ithaca Family Chiropractic; Kinney Drugs; Mental Health Association of Tompkins County; Planet Fitness; and Total Care.

Kinney Drugs will offer flu shots and provide information on all of its services, including free delivery, Pet Meds, monthly Med Collections, Sneak Peek, Kinney Care Discount Program, immunizations, and its new EZ Sync program. Guests can register for the free raffle inside Planet Fitness, who will provide gift bags to the first 150 visitors.

Cayuga Medical Center will provide information on its services and facilities, including Sports Medicine/Physical Therapy, Cayuga Heart Institute, Cayuga Center for Healthy Living, Cayuga Cancer Center, Cayuga Birthplace, Island Health & Fitness, Imaging Services, Cayuga Medical Center Sleep Center, Cayuga Center for Wound Healing, Cayuga Medical Associates, and Rasa Spa.

“As we all know, good health is important to us and our families and The Shops at Ithaca Mall are pleased to host so many knowledgeable vendors on one day,” said Rafael Larramendi, Marketing Director for The Shops at Ithaca Mall. “We hope residents from Tompkins County and the surrounding areas take some time on Sept. 13 to visit the mall and the vendors to learn how they can improve their health and well-being.”

To stay safe at home, the American Red Cross of Tompkins County is urging all residents to take some time during National Preparedness Month to get prepared for emergencies:

MAKE A PLAN: Everyone in the household should help put the emergency plan together so they know what they should do if something occurs. Because everyone may not be together at home when a disaster happens, the plan should include ways to contact one another and two places to meet – one near the home in case of a sudden emergency like a fire, and one outside the neighborhood in case circumstances prevent people from returning home. The plan should also identify an emergency contact person from outside the area in case local telephone lines are overloaded or out of service.

Any emergency plan should also include decisions about where to go if ordered to evacuate and what route to take to get there. It’s a good idea to include alternate routes in case roads are closed. Don’t forget family pets. Make sure to include plans for them such as pet-friendly hotels and animal shelters along the evacuation route.

HOME FIRES: The most common threat people face across the country is a fire in their home. National Preparedness Month is a good time to develop a fire escape plan and practice it with everyone in the household. When developing the plan, walk through the home and look at all exits and possible escape routes, including windows. List two ways to get out of every room in case fire blocks one of the paths. Pick a place to meet outside, a safe distance away and – no matter the circumstances – stay out of the home until fire officials say it is okay to go back inside. All households should practice their plan at least twice a year.

People should also install smoke alarms on every level of their home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. They should test the alarms monthly, replace the batteries at least once a year and replace them every ten years.

RED CROSS APPS: The Red Cross has developed mobile apps that provide information on what to do before, during and after emergencies, including a “Make a Plan” feature on how to develop an emergency plan. The free apps can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross.

For more information on how to prepare for all types of emergencies, people can visit www.redcross.org/tompkins or call the American Red Cross of Tompkins County at (607) 273-1900.