Those interested in how to live a healthier, safer life gathered at Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church Saturday morning for a health fair put on by the church and the American Red Cross.

Guests speakers at the health fair included, Dia Darby from Walgreens, Theresa Scott of the Atmore Area YMCA and sheriff Grover Smith.

Topics ranged from the SilverSneakers® program at the YMCA to the new Yellow Dot program that is being instituted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

Darby, a pharmacist for Walgreens, spoke on the “Vile of Life,” which is an empty pill vile that is filled with vital information.

“I wanted to go over the ‘Vile of Life,’” Darby said. “It is a pill vile that you store emergency information in including emergency contacts, any medications you take and what hospital you prefer to go to. It’s very useful for responders if they have to come to your home. What you do is place the red dot that comes with it on the wall, and they will know where to look to find the vile.”

Following Darby, Scott gave information on the YMCA’s SilverSneakers® program that is geared towards senior citizens.

Scott said SilverSneakers® is a national program that works on life skills.

“In SilverSneakers®, we work on several points of good health,” Scott said. “We do exercises that focus on flexibility, good posture, range of motion, strength and good posture. We even go over nutrition. It’s a great program that you can take part in if you are a member of the Y or if your health insurance will cover the cost of the course.”

Escambia County sheriff Grover Smith took his time to go over the new Yellow Dot program as well as self-defense.

Smith said the Yellow Dot program is something that is catching on nationally and comes to good use.

“We just adopted the Yellow Dot program,” Smith said. “We are the ninth county in the state to adopt it, and it applies to more than just senior citizens. If you are involved in an accident and are unable to speak, the emergency personnel will see the Yellow Dot sticker on your vehicle and know to look for the folder that contains your information. The folder has a picture of you and any medical information they need to know. It tells them everything from what church you attend to the allergies you have. For example, I have a metal pin in my leg, if they do an MRI that pin is going to try and come out. When they look in my folder, they will see that I have that pin in my leg, and know not to do an MRI on me. If I’m unconscious the folder will tell them because I can’t.”