DECATUR - "Free" is the word.

Sixteen of 20 health services will be offered for free at the Macon County Health Department's health fair Friday morning. A heart-healthy seminar and luncheon for women, also free, will follow. The fair celebrates National Public Health Week.

The health department, 1221 E. Condit St., will offer many screenings for free. Also, blood tests will be available: $10 for blood sugar, $15 for lipid panels and $25 for a prostate-specific antigen test for prostate cancer. Decatur Memorial Hospital's Safety, Health, Occupational, Rehab for Employees said to fast 12 hours prior to the blood screening.

According to the Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs, 15 percent of Macon County residents reported in 1998 that they had not received any medical physical for two years.

Heather Ludwig, coordinator at the Women's Health and Breast Center, said routine screenings can lead to early detection, which could help increase the quality of life and survival rate.

She will conduct bone density tests, which she said are painless and take five minutes. The results, mailed to a physician and patient, reveal possible signs of osteoporosis.

Ludwig is also a registered nurse involved in Heart Smart for Women programs. She said women should recognize heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans.

To learn prevention tips, women are invited to the free "Go Red for Women" seminar and luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sixty seats will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Dr. Kathy Booker, dean of Millikin University's School of nursing, will speak about how to stop smoking, increase physical activity, reduce cholesterol levels in the diet and control diabetes and hypertension.

"Women have all the risk factors," Booker said. "We just generally don't get heart disease (until) about 10 years after the onset in men."

She'll also discuss the influence of hormones, which she said increases the risk of heart disease after menopause.

Susie Engle, program director at the Greater Decatur Y, will then offer ideas for coping with stress and boosting energy levels. Dr. Debra Babich of Babich Skin Care will close with skin tips for graceful aging.

Another health fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at St. Peter AME Church, 515 S. Church St., including numerous screenings and guest speakers.

Bethany Carson can be reached at bcarson@;herald-review.com or 421-6968.