‘Behind the Blue’: Be Healthy Bash brings free health and wellness resources to the community
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2026) — Taking steps toward better health doesn’t always have to begin in a doctor’s office. Sometimes it can start with a blood pressure check, a conversation about nutrition or a simple screening that identifies a potential health concern before it becomes something more serious.
On Saturday, Sept. 19, UK HealthCare and University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension will bring those opportunities — along with plenty of family-friendly activities — together for the fourth annual Be Healthy Bash.
The free community health and wellness event is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Fayette County Extension Office, 1140 Harry Sykes Way in Lexington. More than 50 organizations from across UK, along with community partners and sponsors, will provide health screenings, wellness information and other resources designed to help Kentuckians take steps toward healthier lives.
Trudi Matthews, chief of value-based programs, public policy and community initiatives for UK HealthCare, says events like the Be Healthy Bash are an important part of the university’s efforts to reach people before health concerns become more serious.
“We are trying to do the right thing to not only care for the people who are in our clinics and our hospitals and other facilities, but we’re also working really hard to try and go further upstream to prevent downstream complications,” Matthews said.
Visitors to the Be Healthy Bash can access services and information including blood pressure checks, vision screenings, hemoglobin A1C testing, immunizations and resources related to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, behavioral health and other health concerns.
UK Cooperative Extension and other university experts will also offer resources focused on nutrition and healthy eating, including cooking demonstrations and information designed to help families prepare healthier meals that are affordable and accessible.
But Matthews emphasizes that the event is intended to be more than a traditional health fair. Activities include Zumba, inflatables, a petting zoo, a farmers market, a smoothie bike and other opportunities aimed at making health and wellness approachable — and fun — for people of all ages.
The event is free, and lunch will be provided to the first 500 attendees.
On this episode of “Behind the Blue,” Matthews discusses the importance of preventive care, the barriers that can make accessing health resources difficult and how the Be Healthy Bash brings experts from UK, UK HealthCare and community partners together in one place to help Kentuckians connect with screenings, information and follow-up care.
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This interview has been edited for time and clarity.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated healthcare professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the healthcare landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.