Pottstown area residents can start planning for a healthy spring at the Montgomery County Community College Wellness Fair and American Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on MCCC’s West Campus in Pottstown.

The event encompasses many elements that help people of all ages live their best lives. At the Wellness Fair, attendees can have their vision tested with screenings done by students in MCCC’s Medical Assisting Certificate Program, gather information about healthier meals to expand their cooking repertoire, learn about telehealth opportunities for residents with veterans’ benefits or explore career options in the health professions. Visitors also can take a few minutes to benefit from a chair massage and learn, up close and personally, what makes therapy dogs so special. Participants will have the opportunity to donate blood at the Red Cross Blood Drive.

Students in MCCC’s Medical Assisting Certificate Program learn both clinical and administrative skills including drawing blood, performing EKGs and taking vital signs, as well as the knowledge and experience to help a physician’s practice run smoothly. The fully accredited program is a point of pride for MCCC, as Program Director Kathy Schreiner explains.

“We have had a 100 percent pass rate on the Registered Medical Assisting national certification examination on the first attempt over the past eight years,” she said. “Our program attracts a wide mix of students — people just starting their careers who have never been to college and career changers who are completely shifting professions. The program is challenging and requires persistence and commitment from our students. Our dedicated, professional faculty bring a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to our classrooms and clinical laboratories. Prior to completing the program, students participate in an externship experience that enables them to apply their knowledge; interact with other healthcare professionals and patients; and perform administrative and clinical procedures. Our graduates can begin a fulfilling healthcare career when they complete the Medical Assisting Program!”

The Red Cross is also pleased to be part of this community wellness event, and not just because the donations they collect will help to manage an emergency blood shortage in area hospitals.

“We’re proud to be a part of an event that is bringing all these organizations together to make lives better in Pottstown,” American Red Cross External Communications Manager Alana Mauger said. “We serve Pottstown Hospital, which employs MCCC students, and MCCC students have planned this wellness event — it’s a full circle of community collaboration.”

Hailey Borden, one of the Medical Assisting students who will be participating in vision screening at the Wellness Fair, thinks so too.

“I can’t wait to meet and serve the members of my surrounding community,” she said. “I’m looking forward to practicing the professional techniques and skills that I’ve learned and mastered over my time here at MCCC!”