Carl Reed loves the outdoors – the natural beauty, the stillness, the peace.
A hunter for over 40 years, he says if he’s not hunting he’s out fly fishing, gardening or just walking through the woods near his home in Crescent Township, PA.
However, he realizes the dangers of his favorite hobbies. He has to navigate dangerous terrain – often in the dark of the night or early morning – and he’s had trees crash down around him during ice storms.
“Of course, dragging a deer out of the woods is also a real test of whether you should really be out there,” Reed says.
The Mt. Nittany Medical Center also realizes the dangers that come with hunting, and is doing its part to help keep central Pennsylvania’s large hunting population safe as the season gets closer.
Rich Kelley, an EMS clinical coordinator with the hospital, helped plan this Saturday’s Hunter’s Health Day: a free series of screenings and tests for hunters from State College and the surrounding communities.
State College resident Bob Smith, who’s been hunting since he was 12 years old, says he appreciates the free services – which included an EKG to monitor the condition of the heart, as well as vision and hearing tests.
“I just turned 64 this year, so I figured it’s probably smart to see if I have any major problems that would mean I shouldn’t be hunting,” Smith says.
Kelley says that the Hunter’s Healthy Day was started back in 1993 by a paramedic who also served as deputy game warden. He says the event continues a theme of community outreach on the part the hospital, which benefits both the patients and the institution.
“Having that EKG when they come in here for this, hopefully completely healthy, gives us something to compare with if they ever come back, which is very useful,” Kelley says.
Reed says it’s very helpful for him to be able to see if his body could handle catching something like lyme disease from a tick, since nature “isn’t always as nice a place as it used to be.” The Vietnam War veteran also takes advantage of the hearing tests to monitor his senses from year to year.
“The people that come through here are always very grateful they have somewhere they can go that’s free,” Kelley says of the mostly volunteer-based event. “And we’re happy to do it.”
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