{"id":182814,"date":"2026-05-03T12:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T12:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/182814\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T12:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T12:11:10","slug":"reading-hospital-sows-womens-health-self-care-and-spring-vibes-at-grow-glow-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/182814\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Hospital sows women’s health, self\u2011care and spring vibes at Grow & Glow event"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading Hospital\u2019s \u201cGrow & Glow\u201d women\u2019s health and wellness event drew a steady stream of mothers, daughters and neighborhood families to Lauer\u2019s Park Elementary School on Saturday, offering free screenings, self\u2011care activities and a reminder to prioritize personal health.<\/p>\n

The four\u2011hour event filled the school\u2019s cafeteria and hallways with vendor tables, wellness stations, crafts, a photo booth and a flower bar where attendees could build their own spring bouquets. Hospital staff scheduled mammograms, answered health questions and connected women with community resources.<\/p>\n

Ashley Gallen, program coordinator for Reading Hospital\u2019s Mobile Mammography Bus and one of the event organizers, said the goal was to create a welcoming, feel\u2011good space that blended practical health care with the kind of self\u2011care women often put off.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take care of so many people all the time that it\u2019s hard to remember to get your mammogram done, go to the doctor, do all the things you have to do for yourself,\u201d she said. \u201cWe wanted this to be a reminder to take care of you so you can take care of everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

The timing was intentional, Gallen added, with Mother\u2019s Day approaching and spring themes woven throughout the event \u2014 including the flower bar and small giveaways like chocolate and lip balm.<\/p>\n

The hospital previously held a mammography\u2011focused event at the GoggleWorks in September, but organizers expanded the concept this time to include yoga sessions, massage and a broader range of women\u2019s health topics. Gallen said Lauer\u2019s Park was chosen after she attended a community health fair there last spring and saw how well the space worked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vibes were all great,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just felt like the right fit, and the partnership with the school has been wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lauer\u2019s Park Principal Jasmin Sanchez\u2011Lopez said she was glad the school could provide the space needed to carry out the wide range of activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a good partnership, and everybody benefits because it\u2019s within my community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"ChavonnaChavonna Cooper picks out some flowers for a bouquet during the Reading Hospital \u201cGrow & Glow: health and wellness event at Lauer\u2019s Park Elementary School, 251 N. Second St., on Saturday, May 2, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

For attendee Chavonna Cooper, the event was an opportunity to support her daughter\u2019s school \u2014 and to model healthy habits for her own children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to show my girls that it\u2019s important to stay on top of your health,\u201d she said, holding a bouquet she assembled at the flower bar. \u201cI wanted them to get all the information so we can see what\u2019s important to us and what we need to maintain to be healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

She attended the event with her two daughters, ages 20 and 9.<\/p>\n

Throughout the morning, women drifted between stations staffed by clinicians and educators from the hospital and partner agencies.<\/p>\n

\"Anastasia Alvarez, a Tower DIRECT emergency medical technician, show how to perform chest compressions on an infant during the health and wellness event at Lauer\u2019s Park Elementary School, 251 N. Second St., on Saturday, May 2, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Emily Gomez, 20, and her mother, Cindy, had their blood pressure checked at one station and took part in a hands\u2011on demonstration of CPR \u2014 or at least a critical component of it \u2014 at the TowerDIRECT table. There, emergency medical technician Anastasia Alvarez encouraged visitors to perform chest compressions on mannequins to the beat of popular songs such as the disco standard \u201cStayin\u2019 Alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The activity wasn\u2019t intended to certify participants in CPR, Alvarez said, but to give them a feel for the rhythm and pressure of compressions in case they ever need to act in an emergency.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompressions are the most important thing you can do as a bystander,\u201d she said. \u201cWe try to really emphasize compressions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prevention was also on display.<\/p>\n

At the infection\u2011prevention display, Savanna Lacek handed out hand\u2011sanitizer spray bottles shaped like magic markers and emphasized the importance of hand\u2011washing as a simple but effective way to protect yourself and your family from infectious diseases.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when you\u2019re at the grocery store, you should be careful not to touch your face or eyes because of everything you\u2019ve touched while in the store,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just really important that we wash our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Reading Hospital Center for Public Health, located in the Doctor\u2019s Office Building at 301 S. Seventh Ave. on the West Reading campus, shared information about its HIV\/AIDS clinic and the STD testing and treatment services it will begin offering May 26.<\/p>\n

The hospital\u2019s McGlinn Cancer Institute, which provided information on genetic testing for hereditary cancer through its Family Cancer Risk Assessment Program.<\/p>\n

In the gymnasium question-and-answer sessions were held on topics such as recogniing the signs and symptoms of stroke.<\/p>\n

On the self-care side, women had a lot of choices, none more popular than free chair massages offered by the massage therapists in a room off the main corridor.<\/p>\n

\"WandaWanda Holdren, second from left, leads a zumba class during the Reading Hospital \u201cGrow & Glow\u201d health and wellness event at Lauer\u2019s Park Elementary School, 251 N. Second St., on Saturday, May 2, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)
\n\"ReadingReading Hospital nurse Margo Hollenbach checks Emily Gomez\u2019s blood pressure during the \u201cGrow & Glow: health and wellness event at Lauer\u2019s Park Elementary School, 251 N. Second St., on Saturday, May 2, 2026. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

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