YOUR AD HERE »

Aspen Valley Hospital health fairs shelved for 2020

A series of events held annually in the midvalley and Aspen to monitor and promote health and wellness has been canceled to preserve health and wellness.

Aspen Valley Hospital’s health fairs for seniors, the midvalley and uppervalley community are taking a hiatus this year because of the pandemic.

Fairs planned for the summer were canceled, as well October’s midvalley fair and the senior fair in November, said Jennifer Slaughter, AVH’s director of community relations.



“Originally we postponed just our June fair,” she said last week, “and we then looked at the situation and all of the factors leading to flu season and the vulnerable populations who typically attend our fair, and we had to make that decision.”

The 2019 fairs combined to draw 1,867 participants, Slaughter said.




Past fairs have offered blood draws, a range of free screenings and information stations. Other tests came with charges.

“That made this decision so painful and we know the community does look forward to it,” Slaughter said, noting the reduced costs for the fairs’ paid offerings.

Having hundreds of people attempting to socially distance and practice other health measures did not make sense for the hospital.

“It’s not conducive to what we do,” said Slaughter, who broke the news to AVH’s board of directors at its September meeting.

More details about future health fairs will come on the AVH website early next year, she told the board.

“Looking ahead to 2021, we are exploring ways we can modify our health fair events to facilitate demand for our popular blood draws, and do so in a way that keeps everyone safe,” according to AVH’s website. “We greatly appreciate your understanding, and we will post all updates to our website as we have them. Please check back for more information.”

rcarroll@aspentimes.com