courtesy of: The Morning News
written by: Rosalie Klein
The Renaissance Convention Center was a beehive of activity with the latest buzz on healthy products, procedures and facilities for care for all ages, from pre-partum to the aged. The Aruba Health Expo featured 50 booths with free samples of various products, testing for blood pressure, eye pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, body mass index and blood sugar, and informative centers manned by various foundations and their volunteers advising various groups with particular health concerns.
Bert de Vries, Optometrist and Managing Director of Oduber and Kan joined with the staff of the Foundation for the Visually Impaired (FAVI) to test eyes, “so we can hopefully prevent Arubans from needing our services.” Xavier School of Medicine, IMSAN medical facility in San Nicolas, Noord Labs, Visser Trading and Aruba’s White Yellow Cross also offered islanders the opportunity to find out if they need to see their doctor, ASAP.
The two days dedicated to improved health were punctuated by lectures from several foundations; international guest speakers included Dr. Gordon Tessler speaking on “The Truth about your Health” and Diane Sockwell talking on skin care courtesy of Playa Trading. Dr. Henk Marsman spoke on “The Quality of Aruba’s Drinking Water,” Dr. Alex Schwengle covered “Oncology on Aruba,” and Dr. Jaime Falconi talked of “Stroke Awareness,” to mention just a few of the pertinent topics covered during the two full days of lectures.
The diversity of products demonstrated and the wealth of services and information offered was almost heart-stopping; organizers report an enthusiastic response from the public, with the hope of this becoming an annual event.
