Indianapolis, In. — The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) will offer health trainings, birth certificates, educational games and other activities at the Indiana State Fair on Monday, Aug. 13, as part of First Responders Day presented by ISDH. On that day, first responders, including firefighters, police officers and EMT personnel, and their families will receive free admission when an ID or badge is presented at the gate.
“First responders are on the front lines of keeping Hoosiers safe and healthy, whether they’re fighting the opioid crisis, making sure homes have working smoke detectors or providing emergency medical care,” said State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG. “We’re proud to partner with the Indiana State Fair to honor these men and women.”
ISDH staff will be on hand to provide information and interactive demonstrations to promote good health in Indiana.
As part of the ISDH activities, fairgoers will be able to enter a drawing to win a mini Colts helmet signed by Anthony Castonzo, play cornhole and other games, check whether their child is tall enough to transition from a car seat to a booster seat, see demonstrations of the new Liv pregnancy mobile application and get their picture taken in the Liv photo booth.
The ISDH Emergency Preparedness Mobile Hospital also will be on display. Besides getting some relief from the heat in this air-conditioned tent, fairgoers will be able to purchase copies of birth or death certificates from the ISDH Vital Records Division. Individuals should bring a driver’s license or other photo identification and a check for $10 to obtain a certificate on the spot. Parents will also be able to register their child’s immunization record with MyVaxIndiana.
The mobile hospital tent will also host trainings for both first responders and fairgoers. First responders who would like to earn continuing education credits can attend a naloxone administration training. These 15-minute sessions will occur on the half-hour beginning at 10:30 a.m. and will teach first responders how to correctly administer this life-saving drug to an overdose victim.
In addition, every hour on the hour beginning at 11 a.m., ISDH will offer Stop the Bleed training. This 15-minute training teaches individuals how to quickly stop blood loss. No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will always be first on the scene of a traumatic event. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, so it is important to quickly stop the bleeding.
ISDH, along with first responders and other partners, works daily to protect Hoosiers from disease and educate them about ways to improve their health. ISDH also responds to natural disasters, such as recent flooding, to ensure that Hoosiers are protected from illnesses that can result from such incidents.
