WellFest: A Free Health Event March 14

WellFest 2020 postponed

Based on guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the situation as it stands in South Carolina today, the WellFest event scheduled for Saturday, March 14, will be postponed in an abundance of caution and concern for the wellbeing of our guests and team members.

Prisma Health announces the return of its popular, free Midlands health event, WellFest. The event will be held Saturday, March 14, 8 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln St.

In 2019, WellFest was launched as newly combined annual event for women and men of all ages to hear from health experts and to become energized about the simple changes everyone can make to become healthier. It is also an opportunity to receive free personalized screenings to learn about risk factors affecting health and important next steps. Prisma Health sponsors WellFest with its partners Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina and Prisma Health Foundation.

This year, the event welcomes nationally known twin sisters and medical doctors, Brandi and Brittani Jackson, who have recently been featured on national television including NBC Nightly News and The Ellen Show, where they were recognized for their dedication to community health. Brandi Jackson, MD, is a psychiatrist and Brittani Jackson, MD, is a family medicine physician and they practice in the Chicago area. They are both passionate about caring for the underserved and encouraging the next generation of aspiring doctors from all walks of life.

WellFest attendees also will enjoy free entertainment, health information, cooking demonstrations, health screenings for women and men, fitness activities, local exhibitors and more. Presenters and guests will include Mike Goodwin, comedian and MC; Mark O’Halla, Prisma Health president and CEO; Tameika Isaac Devine, Columbia City Council; James Patrick, fitness trainer; Rick Foster, MD, and other medical and fitness specialists and community leaders.

Sumter residents can register to ride roundtrip for free on the WellFest bus from Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital to Columbia. Registration is required and bus seating is limited, so call early to reserve a seat: 803-296-CARE (2273).

Before and during WellFest, Prisma Health is offering free heart health, prostate and diabetes screenings for adults at other locations in the Midlands. WellFest also will offer onsite mammograms on a limited basis for women over 40. Registration is required for all screenings.

Screenings are 7–10 a.m. unless otherwise noted. Heart health screenings require 12-hour fasting right before. Call to register: 803-296-CARE (2273).

• Prisma Health Baptist Hospital, 1501 Sumter St., Columbia, Classrooms A and B: Saturdays, Feb. 8, 22 and Thursdays, Feb. 27
• Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln St., Columbia: Saturday, March 14

For more information and to register for Wellfest, visit PrismaHealth.org/WellFest for more information. For exhibitor opportunities, call 803-296-3764.