AUBURN - An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Traffic was brisk at the YMCA Health Fair Saturday morning as people came to access free preventive screening for things like blood pressure, cholesterol and aches and pains.

The informational fair is intended to make participants more aware of body health, with b blood pressure, vision, and audio screenings by professionals who had volunteered for the morning.

Barb Nervina, of Cato, and Connie Tallcot, blood bank supervisor at Auburn Memorial Hospital, signed people up as they arrived for blood tests.

"When we first started, the plan was hopefully we would reach people in their 30s and 40s who may be at risk but never did anything about it," Mena Hansinger, assistant fitness director at the Y, said. "Dr. Rick Nangle and our Medical Advisory Committee have been running it for about 10 years, now."

"We offer this once a year, while the hospital has free blood screening in the fall," she said. "It complements the hospital, so that people can get twice as much (preventive health care) as they had before. The only thing that we can do is recommend that they see a doctor." She believed that screening results are sent to family doctors for those people who have one and indicated it on their forms.

"It's a very good program," Y member Sophie Renahan, 76, of Owasco," said. She has been coming to the event for a number of years and was drawn to the cholesterol and glucose screening. She also likes meeting up with her friends.

"Every person who takes a blood test is contacted to let them know whether they are generally healthy, need to see a doctor soon, or should definitely make an appointment," Hansinger said.

"I had high cholesterol and found that out here," Renahan said of her past experience. She confirmed that the information was sent to her private physician and she continues to be treated for that condition.