Bay County health program brings diabetes awareness event to Callaway
CALLAWAY — November acknowledges the start of National Diabetes Month, and one Bay County health department program aims to help spread awareness.
The Diabetes Services Program at the Florida Department of Health of Bay County has partnered with the city of Callaway to host "Discipline in Diabetes," a community diabetes awareness day. The family-friendly event will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Callaway Recreational Complex, 500 Callaway Parkway.
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The free event includes educational and interactive activities designed to bring health professionals and residents together to spread awareness for the diabetic community. Several informational vendors will have health-related offerings such as glucose screenings, balance tests and nutritional classes.
Tricia Pearce, community program manager at the health department, said the event's purpose is to engage the community in promoting diabetes awareness and a healthy lifestyle.
“Diabetes is very prevalent in our communities, and it’s just really important that we get more awareness out about it around Bay County,” Pearce said. “We’re trying to get information out there for people who are either pre-diabetic or have been diagnosed and hope we can help them learn how to take care of themselves better.”
Plenty of entertainment will be taking place throughout the day, including ring toss, jump rope, stilt walkers and firefighter agility courses from the Callaway Fire Department. In addition, Tropical Paradise and Kona Ice food trucks will be on-site during the event.
A “Run in Color” 5K race and one-mile paint run will kick off festivities Saturday morning, and the first 100 people will receive a free white t-shirt and a special swag bag. All ages are welcome to participate.
“This is the first event we’ve held like this, so we’re hoping for a good turnout,” Pearce said. “Our goal is to have people realize that there can be fun ways to stay healthy, as far as eating better and practicing healthier habits.”
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While similar events took place in the past, the annual tradition of recognizing National Diabetes Month took a four-year halt because of Hurricane Michael and the pandemic, Pearce said.
“We traditionally host an event every November to spread awareness of diabetes, so we’re trying to get back into making sure we recognize this initiative every year,” Pearce said. “We wanted to try something different this year to actively engage more with our community.”
Partnering with the organizers are Anytime Fitness on Tyndall Parkway and the city of Callaway Leisure Services department. For additional information, call the Florida Health Department of Bay County Diabetes Service Program at 850-252-9609.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Florida Health Department of Bay County promotes diabetes awareness
