By K. NANCOO-RUSSELL

Freeport News Reporter

krystal@nasguard.com

Steadfast in their belief that a holistic approach is needed to nurture a healthy community, the Shiloh Seventh-Day Adventist Church hosted its fourth annual Health Expo yesterday on the church grounds from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event was held under the theme "Your Health and You" and featured booths which offered blood pressure testing; blood glucose screening; dental, eye and ear exams; cholesterol testing and weight and health assessments.

There was also a Kids' Corner and a display of vegetarian dishes.

Attendees heard lectures from Dr. Tamara Burke-Moree and Dr. Alvira Higgs and an address from the keynote speaker, administrator of the Rand Memorial Hospital Sharon Williams.

According to the church's pastor, Henry Moncur, the event was focused on providing members of the public with information on health and wellness.

"We're looking at the holistic lifestyle. We don't deal with medication, we deal with trying to prevent illnesses, because most of the ailments we deal with today are preventable, related to stress and so on," he said.

"We try to help individuals by teaching them that if they could put a lot of these principles in place, they could prevent a lot of sickness that we find today and it could not only prolong their life, but give them a better quality of life."

The health department of the church, which is headed by Michelle James, was responsible for organizing the event.

James explained that although the Health Expo is one of the major events the department hosts for the year, they also coordinate monthly health-related activities in the community, such as blood pressure and blood glucose testing once a month, outside local supermarkets.

They also host a healthy lifestyle cooking class and an exercise program at the church.

"Outside of the medical arena, it is important that we teach our people how to care for their bodies, because in learning about the word of God you discover that the body is a temple of God and if your mind is not focused and not pure you will not be able to study and meditate on the word of God," James said.

"We give the person a holistic approach to deal with health – the mind, the body and the soul."

This year's event was able to benefit from the presence of Ross University medical students on the island, since some 60-plus students volunteered to assist.

Timothy Yu, Vice President of Ross University Student Government Association explained that the students have been interested in performing some community service since arriving on the island and jumped at the opportunity to help when they heard about the Expo.

"Volunteer work is very important. It's one of the reasons that a lot of us students actually decided to go to medical school, to give back to the community and so this is just an opportunity for us to do that," he said.

Faculty member Dr. Jennifer Cannon said she is proud of the students for their selflessness since many of them will be taking major examinations today and could have used the time to prepare.

"I'm just really proud that they came out and are dedicated to come and spend their Sunday afternoon when they could be studying or sitting on the beach relaxing," she said.

Pastor Moncur expressed his appreciation to the students for the time and effort they loaned to the Expo.

"It's a good partnership that works together. We're happy that they are involved with us in this Expo this year," she said.