WOMANCARE CONFERENCE TO BE HELD HERE FRIDAY

A year of planning will reach fruition Friday as the 11th annual Womancare Conference opens at the Show Me Center.

As its name suggests, the Womancare Conference is an exploration of the many facets of women's health.

"It's for education and for taking care of a certain segment of the population that generally takes care of the rest of their family," said Mary Spell of St. Francis Medical Center.

St. Francis is one of the organizations that is primarily responsible for bringing the conference to the public. A number of corporations in the community donate time, money and items to provide a wide range of presentations and booths directed at addressing the health needs of women.

Spell said some of the new things this year's conference will showcase are a Heart Healthy Pavilion, expanded health screenings and a new location -- the Show Me Center.

The event will kick off at 11:30 a.m. with a luncheon. The conference will feature guest speaker Dr. Georganne Syler and the annual Womancare Woman of the Year award presentation.

A ballet and fashion show will follow at 1:20 p.m.

The conference planning committee is comprised solely of women. They meet immediately after the conference to begin planning for the next year's event.

Committee member Marilyn Welsh said the focus of the conference is "A Time For Us."

"We realize that women wear many different hats, whether it's raising a family and holding a career. Sometimes we give so much energy to all those other resources we don't always take time for us," said Welsh, who is also the marketing representative for outpatient services at St. Francis.

Welsh said the conference will display exhibits on such topics as glamour treatments, gardening, the benefits of soy-based foods, women's safety, healthy snacks for kids, 10 most common money mistakes, the impact of heart disease and building long-lasting relationships.

"We cover a wide variety of topics," she said.

Welsh said even though men are allowed into the conference it is geared specifically for women. "I think men would probably be bored."