The Healthy Living Festival was identified by the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Action Team as a program that, when combined with other actions in our community, has a reasonable chance of making a difference in awareness of community resources in our Jackson County. The Healthy Living Festival is an annual health fair that brings together businesses and organizations with a health-theme to offer information, screenings, and more to the residents of Jackson County. This strategy, though not evidence-based, has been implemented in Jackson County since 2011 with great success and participation.

The audience for this strategy is the community at large. This strategy aims to make a different at the individual level-- increasing knowledge and influence on individual attitudes and beliefs towards health. Implementation will take place community-wide in Jackson County

The partners for this strategy include:

• Jackson County Department of Public Health
  • Role: Organize and plan the Festival; Recruit exhibitors, advertise
• Harris Regional Hospital
  • Role: Organize and plan the Festival; Recruit exhibitors, advertise
• Western Carolina University
  • Role: Organize and plan the Festival; Recruit exhibitors, advertise
• Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department
  • Role: Organize and plan the Festival; Recruit exhibitors, advertise, host Festival space
• Jackson County Department on Aging
  • Role: Organize and plan the Festival; Recruit exhibitors, advertise

2017 Updates

Healthy Living Festival: The Action Team lead a successful Festival with 134 participants and 28 vendors. 44 volunteers completed screenings, which included BMI, blood pressure, HbA1c, cholesterol, HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis.

Charles Easton, ISAP Action Team Chair, speaking to participants at the 8th Annual Healthy Living Festival

2016 Updates

The 7th Annual Healthy Living Festival experienced 165 participants, 38 vendors, with a total of 76 exhibitors in the main festival space.  There were 40 screenings completed, which included HbA1c, blood pressure, height/weight, BMI, and cholesterol.  All screenings were free thanks to donations from Harris Regional Hospital and the Great Smokies Health Foundation.  

Outside of the main festival space, the Red Cross brought their blood donation bus and receiving 14 pints of blood.  The Jackson County Animal Shelter was also present, and they administered 15 rabies vaccinations.