Mohave Daily News: Local

BULLHEAD CITY - Respiratory therapist Gary Lynch discretely moved his foot under the table to push an air pump that made a set of pig's lungs expand.

On the right was a charred black lung, representative of a 20-year smoker, while on the left was the healthy pink version.

“Are those real?,” asked Bailee Heath.

Lynch told the young girl they were, and asked her which lung she'd rather have. After she pointed to the pink lung, Lynch told her she was smarter than a fifth-grader.

Bailee Heath was attending the Health, Wellness and Safety Expo put on by Bullhead City for city employees and their families. Before she moved on to the next booth, she asked again.

“Are you sure those are real?”

Lynch said while most people have seen pictures of healthy and a smoker's lungs, seeing the actual organs can have a different effect.

“By seeing this I can actually get some people to quit just by looking at this demonstration,” Lynch said. “And if I can get one person to quit then I've succeeded.”

Lynch, from the booth of Western Arizona Regional Medical Center (WARMC), sat at one of more than 30 tables at the 6th annual expo. With an estimated turn-out of more than 300 people, the expo offered give-aways, raffles and information from WARMC, Valley View Medical Center (VVMC), and the city's police, health and fire departments as well as chiropractors, dermatologists and insurance companies.

“They actually get to interact with the providers they usually talk to on the phone,” said city employee Kim Plough. “We've had some great feedback.”

Mayor Jack Hakim attended the expo and picked up a booklet titled, “The ABCs of Smoking.”

Then he got his blood pressure taken at the VVMC booth. When a hospital employee told him the results were “beautiful,” he jokingly asked her to repeat the diagnosis, this time louder.

VVMC spokesman Lance Ross said the expo offered city employees a look at the array of services available.

“It's important for everyone that comes here to take advantage of a number of different exhibits and get a variety of perspectives,” he said. “It's been a very cooperative spirit. People aren't in here today to compete - they're here to inform.”

Lorrie Duggins, of the Bullhead City Police Department, promoted gun safety by giving out gun locks and DNA kits that help identify children if they go missing.

There were also orange stickers with the department's local phone number, 928-763-1999, which Duggins said cell phone users should call in emergencies instead of 911. Cell phones pick up the nearest towers which could be as far as Las Vegas or Kingman, she explained, and time is wasted when the operator must transfer the call to Bullhead City.

Duggins also offered whistles to wear when walking to signal for help and key chains to help keep house and car keys separate so valets or mechanics can't access home keys when they're caring for a vehicle.

“We're giving them this information in advance and talking to them so they can be safe,” she said, “before they become a victim.”