VIDALIA — An apple a day doesn’t always keep the doctor way.

But residents who attend the first Miss-Lou Regional Health and Wellness Fair can learn what does.

The fair, hosted by the Miss-Lou Regional Healthcare Committee, will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center.

The event, designed to educate community members on aspects of health, wellness, fitness and lifestyle improvements, will feature vendor booths, health screenings and speaker presentations.

The health screenings will be from 8 a.m. to noon and include blood pressure, body mass index, glucose and bone densitometry.

Committee Chairman Sarah Smith said the main goal for the health fair is to increase the community’s awareness of health care availability in the Miss-Lou.

“We should be the hub of health care in Southwest Mississippi, and people need to understand what’s here and what’s available,” Smith said. “If the public knows the health care market here and who the doctors are, then they wouldn’t have to go out of town.”

Guest speakers include a variety of physicians and specialists in the area that will rotate every 30 minutes from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The speakers will discuss a variety of topics including obesity, heart health and cancer.

Hospice Compassus care consultant Jason Dauphin said the idea for the health fair came from seeing other fairs in the area.

“It seemed like there was a little health fair here and a health fair there, but we wanted one on a bigger scale for the Miss-Lou,” Dauphin said. “We just wanted to take it a step further and make sure people in the area know the qualified physicians and specialists we have right here.”

The fair will also feature events for children including an appearance from the Natchez Air Evac Lifeteam and activities like rock climbing, face painting and an inflatable jumper.

The event is free to the public.

For more information, call 601-807-4114.