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    Wyoming Health Fairs looks to make Riverton a permanent home

    Wyoming Health Fairs has provided accessible and affordable healthcare screenings to the
    folks of Wyoming since 1986, in an effort to raise awareness about individual wellness without requiring a prescription or prior diagnosis. Due to the growing interest and participation of Fremont County residents in WHF’s services, the company has leased permanent office space at 2725 West Main in Riverton, which is owned by the Central Wyoming College Foundation and is right across from the college campus.

    “We are very excited for this opportunity to open this office location in Riverton,” WHF Executive Director, Tandi Rinker said. “We have a long-standing relationship with the state and the college, and we look forward to expanding that relationship and have worked with the college’s phlebotomy and nursing students for quite some time in order to provide practical experience in the field.”

    For the last several years, WHF has provided health screening services to Fremont County
    residents once a month in Dubois, Lander and Riverton, respectively, on the third Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of the month. Since July, WHF has increased services to weekly in Riverton and Lander, while maintaining the monthly screening in Dubois.

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    According to Rinker, the new office is set to open in mid-September and will provide increased opportunity to provide community service. “Right now, the Riverton draw is open on Fridays, 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., and we look forward to increasing those hours to 7 a.m. to noon,” Rinker said. “But,” she added, “we hope to increase the number of days the office will be open to at least three, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and still maintain the Thursday draw in Lander.”

    Though the WHF main office is located in Casper, it provides wellness screenings throughout Wyoming, and in many other states. “We have monthly draws in most areas of the state, including Cody, Powell, Sheridan, Gillette, Rock Springs, and Buffalo,” Rinker explained. “We also maintain offices in Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie, Torrington and Scottsbluff, Nebraska.”

    Wyoming Health Fairs also travels extensively throughout the United Sates in order to serve its corporate contracts. “The only states we haven’t been too are Maine and Hawaii,” she said. “We had an opportunity to provide services in areas of the Caribbean, but it didn’t work out, but not because there was a lack of staff willing to make the trip.

    When asked why people should consider using WHF rather than a medical laboratory or waiting for a doctor’s order, Rinker responded with three words, access, affordability, and awareness. “When we are open we don’t turn anyone away,” she explained. “We schedule appointments for every 12 minutes. That is our goal for getting people in and out. But we also accept walk-ins and we don’t close the doors until everyone has had their blood drawn.”

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    As for affordability, Rinker said that internal studies of lab prices in Casper has shown WHF can save patients $800 to $1,100 on typical blood lab work. “Those numbers can be misleading, however,” Rinker pointed out. “There are 33 levels in our blood chemistry panel, which costs around $45, and includes tests for electrolyte levels, heart and kidney function, iron levels, cholesterol, thyroid, liver, and protein. Blood chemistry tests from other labs may only have half as many levels, so you need to compare apples to apples. And we are a preferred provider of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wyoming.

    However, self-awareness of an individual’s health might be the most compelling reason for a person to seek out WHF’s services. “Most people go to the doctor when they aren’t feeling right and what’s one of the first things the doctor does? Sends him or her to get blood work,” Rinker observed. “And then in a few days or a week they return to the doctor’s office to hear the results of the blood work, and hopefully get a diagnosis and some sort of treatment plan. Wouldn’t it be better if you could go into the doctor with test results in hand and an idea of what the results indicate, be able to participate fully in the treatment plan, and forgo the second appointment. WHF can help cut doctor visit time in half and increase the patients personal awareness.”

    For more information on Wyoming Health Fairs or to make an appointment, go to www.whf.to or call 800-979-3711.

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