Bedford to Hold First Health & Wellness Fest at Fox Lane HS

More than ever before, attention is being paid to overall health, and not just for middle-aged adults or seniors. To address that focus, the Town of Bedford is holding its inaugural Health & Wellness Fest this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fox Lane High School.

The day will feature a wide variety of workshops on health-related topics for adults and teens, children’s activities and NARCAN and “Stop the Bleed” training for the public, both of which can save a person’s life if someone needs help from an opioid overdose or is suffering from serious bleeding, respectively.

There will also be health screenings, music and several food trucks outside the school in case anyone gets hungry.

Best of all, you don’t have to be a Bedford resident to attend, and everything is free unless you buy food from one of the trucks.

“We want to make it fun, make it enjoyable, have it really be an uplifting day and bring people together and to remember that we have a lot to offer in the community,” said Cynthia Braun, a former pediatrician and the vendor coordinator for the town’s Health & Wellness Fest Committee. “We have a lot of caring people who want to help. We hope we can direct people to lots of resources for assistance.”

About 40 local health and community organizations will be on hand to familiarize local residents with what they do and how to access their services, from Northern Westchester Hospital/Northwell Health, Open Door Family Medical Center and the Westchester County Department of Health to local libraries, the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry and the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester.

Workshops, most of which are about 45 minutes, include chair yoga, tai chi and Zumba sessions for those who’d like to take part in movement and exercise. There are other workshops such as one that focuses on brain health, information about 12 Step programs and how anyone can use them to improve their life and a presentation from representatives from the New York Milk Bank, an organization that provides safely pasteurized human milk for moms whose own milk is unavailable or insufficient.

Braun said the impetus for the festival came from Bedford Councilman Andres Castillo. Castillo, an administrator for Open Door Family Medical Centers, recognized that various segments of the population were in need, she said. That includes those who have suffered from stress, isolation and other consequences from COVID-19 that are not directly related to the virus along with the underserved immigrant population in the area.

The committee was looking for organizations that would be of value to a wide cross-section of the community.

“We were thinking families, actually parents with kids, but we really wanted to attract teenagers, too, and we wanted to have programming for senior adults as well, the communities that were hit so hard with COVID,” she said. “We’ve all been hit hard, but so many teens and young adults really struggled with anxiety and depression that’s devastating in that population. Senior adults have been struggling, in particular, with loneliness and isolation as well as health issues.”

Organizers hope to have most of the activities outdoors. In the case of rain, much of those could be moved inside the high school, Braun said.

While it’s a Town of Bedford event, several surrounding communities are participating in the festival. Mount Kisco Mayor Gina Picinich said when multiple towns can partner on bringing important resources and information to the public’s attention, it has far-reaching benefits.

“In Mount Kisco, we don’t have a social services arm, we don’t have a health department, so fundamentally this type of activity is not something that village government has typically done.” Picinich said. “We rely on our partners in our community.”

For more information about the Health & Wellness Fest and the full schedule of workshops and activities, visit www.bedfordny.gov.

Martin Wilbur

Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/