By Shanakay Hall, RVHS university placement student
October 17, 2011

The Court of Rouge Valley Centenary was pretty in pink and white on September 28, 2011. The Expecting Mothers’ and Women’s Health and Wellness Drop-In was abuzz with patients, visitors and staff excited to get some free health and wellness information and participate in the fair's activities.

Presented by Rouge Valley Health System and Ome Jamal Pharmacy Ltd (Shoppers Drug Mart), the fair was held just outside of the hospital’s new Birthing and Newborn Centre.

Tables within the Court were filled with information, samples, and donation gift bags for visitors to enjoy. A Healthwatch Pharmacist was on-site, checking blood sugar levels as well as educating eager participants. Other health care professionals provided information to visitors in regards to fitness, dieting, and their overall health. Wellness and aesthetic professionals pampered visitors with beauty makeovers, body massages, life-coaching sessions, and personal training advice. Guests also had a chance to buy a variety of tasty baked treats, from gingerbreads to cupcakes and brownies, which they enjoyed eating while they strolled through the fair.

Ome Jamal, a philanthropist within the community as well as the owner of the Ome Jamal Pharmacy Ltd. and member of the hospital’s Community Advisory Group felt that the event was a great way to give back to a community that she strongly believes in.

“I have a passion for women’s health and it is very important that we focus on women and children,” says Jamal. “A community benefits from mothers who are well looked after and children who are brought up well. There is no better place to start than the place where a woman prepares for and gives birth to her newborn. The Birthing and Newborn Center can effectively prepare a woman for her days and weeks to come.”

The event was all about pampering and helping women. Jamal adds, “Not every expecting or new mother always has the help she needs, or simply just doesn’t know about the help available to her during a very special time in her life. The fair showed that there are resources available—able to make a difference in women’s lives, big or small.”

The event was a huge success and the future of the event looks bright, with plans to have more drop-in wellness fairs.