Estes Park Health participating in EVRPD Wellness Fair Nov. 8

A woman wearing glasses and a white coat stands in front of a mural featuring trees and mountains.
Dr. Jennifer McLellan is a general surgeon at Estes Park Health. She now serves as the medical Chief of Staff. (Wendy Rigby/Estes Park Health)

Oct. 21, 2025: The leaves have fallen from the trees, the mountains have had several coatings of snow and soon we will be huddled indoors from the cold winter winds.

Winter, however, is no time to neglect your health and wellness. For that reason, Estes Valley Recreation and Park District is hosting a Wellness Fair on Sat., Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the lower level of the Estes Valley Community Center and Estes Park Health is excited to be a part of the event.

To help Estes Valley residents think about ways they can be proactive about their health, healthcare providers from the hospital will be giving talks during breakout sessions at the event.

  • Importance of A Colon Cancer Screening: Dr. Jennifer McLellan, Chief of Staff and General Surgeon, 9 to 10 a.m.
  • Live Mediterranean – Beyond a Diet: Dr. Hannah Fields, Family Medicine Physician, 10 to 11 a.m.
  • Stroke Symptom Awareness – Be FAST: EPH Emergency Department, 11 to 11:30 a.m.
  • Occupational Therapy at EPH – Benefits of OT: Valerie Foster, Occupational Therapist, 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

All presentations will be in the lower-level classroom at the Estes Valley Community Center.

“Colon cancer screening is one of the most straightforward and reliable ways to identify precancerous polyps in the colon or rectum,” said McLellan. “Starting at age 45, regular screenings should be completed every ten years to catch the disease early.”

Colon cancer has a 1 in 23 lifetime risk of development in men and 1 in 26 for women. When detected early at a localized stage, the five-year survival rate is 91%. That rate drops to 13% when the disease has spread into distant parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs or lymph nodes.

During her talk, McLellan, who regularly performs colonoscopies (a test to look inside the colon), will speak about the importance of screening and the risk factors involved in developing colon cancer.

Fields, who focuses on lifestyle medicine at her Estes Park Health practice, will share the evidence behind a healthy Mediterranean diet and lifestyle factors that can help prevent or treat chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and obesity during her breakout session.

In addition to these free, informative presentations, staff and providers from Estes Park Health will be at the Estes Park Health booth to answer questions about additional services the hospital provides for the Estes Valley community. Stop by the booth and receive a free reusable shopping bag.

A woman in a tan blazer and white shirt stands indoors, smiling and resting her arm on a wooden railing with a modern interior background.

Dr. Hannah Fields is a family medical physician who joined Estes Park Health in July 2025. (Photo credit: Dawn Wilson/Estes Park Health)