Chamber health expo offers networking options

The Hardin County Chamber of Commerce hosted a health expo Wednesday during its monthly luncheon at Pritchard Community Center, giving medical providers and other local businesses an opportunity to network and promote.

Executive Director Brad Richardson said roughly 40 exhibits were lined up for the expo, which he said was an excellent networking opportunity for local businesses.

Larger employers, such as Hardin Memorial Health, set up booths as well as smaller businesses and charitable organizations, such as Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland.

Some booths had interactive elements to demonstrate services offered while others were focused solely on information distribution and education.

Bobbi Harned and Susan Brown promoted Flaget Cancer Center and Bardstown Bariatric, General & Cosmetic Surgery during the expo, securing a booth to stress the need for mammograms and cancer screenings.

“We really want to alert everybody that early detection is the key to cancer survival,” Harned said.

Brown said it is beneficial to interact with local employers so when they have their own health fairs they can pass the information on to their employees.

Brown said they had heard from cancer survivors and those who were keeping up with screenings, as well as those who had not but recognized the need to. Sometimes, she said, people need a reminder to take care of their bodies.

Kristin Campbell, a marketing assistant with Allegro in Elizabethtown, said the expo afforded her organization a chance to mingle with new faces and network with other businesses.

“It’s a really great thing to spread the word about Allegro and meet new people, which is what I’m all about,” she said.

Campbell said she was impressed with the diversity of businesses represented at the expo and called the large turnout “wonderful.”

Tabitha Hodges, field marketing administrator for The Little Clinic, said the clinic signed up for the expo to remind residents and businesses they are in the community and ready to serve them seven days a week if medical needs arise. The clinic operates out of select Kroger grocery stores, including the one on Towne Drive in Elizabethtown.

Hodges said she had heard from former patients who had utilized the clinic’s services in the past and found them satisfactory

“This is a great way to let people know we’re here in Elizabethtown and want to take care of people,” she said.

Jacqueline Dann, owner of Exact Management Solutions, said her company specifies in assisting health care providers reach compliance as they transfer to electronic health records. Surrounded by so many health providers, she said the expo helped expose the community to what her business offers.

“It’s great,” she said.

Marty Finley can be reached at (270) 505-1762 or mfinley@thenewsenterprise.com.

In other chamber business:

• Western Kentucky University, which sponsored the luncheon, announced it is bringing its Masters of Business Administration program to Elizabethtown this fall. Bob Hatfield, associate dean for graduate programs and research in the Gordon Ford College of Business, said the classes will be held every other Saturday for two years and students will meet regularly in a group. The format, Hatfield said, should appeal to those with busy lifestyles who have an interest in advanced education.
• Chamber Executive Director Brad Richardson announced the first cash mob held at Wild Earth Gallery & Gifts in downtown Elizabethtown Tuesday attracted around 40 people, who were encouraged by the chamber to “mob” the store at a designated time and spend $20. The program was started to give chamber members more value for their memberships and spotlight local businesses.  The program will continue every other month this year with businesses chosen through a random drawing, Richardson said. A lunch mob will be held on off months, where restaurants will be randomly chosen.
• Richardson also briefed the crowd on the chamber’s new breakfast club program, which launched last month in Radcliff with roughly 70 people in attendance. The next breakfast club outing will be held Feb. 28 at Vine Grove City Hall, Richardson said.