“It’s been non-stop,” Leslie McKenzie, one of the organizers of the event said Saturday. “This is just fabulous for such a small community.”
The Southern Clermont County Health Fair was sponsored by a coalition of Clermont County agencies. It was held at the Felicity Methodist Church.
McKenzie, a community relations representative with Amerigroup, a managed healthcare company, said that the idea for the health fair was born at a back to school fair held in Felicity in August.
“We found there was a need for medical coverage in the community,” she said.
According to McKenzie, the community is underserved. The nearest doctors offices, she said, are in Bethel and New Richmond.
“There are big issues here,” McKenzie said. “There are no doctors or pharmacies in the community, and many people here have transportation issues.”
Discussions for a health fair to bring testing and information to the public began with McKenzie, Felicity Methodist Church pastor Jane Beattie, Place Matters program director Sue McKinley, and Dawn Baird with Clermont Pediatrics. There were 20 organizations, including the Clermont General Health District, OSU Extension, Place Matters, Felicity EMS, Mercy Health Partners, HealthSource, and Southwest Regional Health Care, offering services at the event.
Testing offered at the health fair included lead testing for children, body mass index testing, dental screening, blood pressure and glucose checks, vision testing and more.
Participants were also able to get flu shots, medication reviews, and nutrition information.
All of the screening procedures were offered at little or no charge.
McKenzie said that the event’s organizers are hoping to bring the health fair back next year, and to perhaps hold health fairs in other parts of the county.
“I would hope to repeat this next year,” McKenzie said. “With the turnout we’ve had, there is clearly a need for this.”