Bringing Free Health Services to Those Who Need it Most
Rockville: October 14, 2015: Five years after starting the health fair at Guru Gobind Singh Foundations (GGSF, a Sikh Spiritual Center) in Rockville, Maryland, the collaborative team of GGSF and Greater Washington Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GWAPI) took it to the next level this year. GGSF and GWAPI collaborated with Montgomery County of Community Partnerships and American Diversity Group in Maryland to reach out to the community at large. Large contingent of African Americans, Latino community besides Indian community members took benefit of this initiative.
The 5th Annual Health Fair was hosted at the Montgomery County Executive Office building on October 10, 2015. The four hour free health fair provided much needed health services to everyone from Blood test, Flu vaccine, Eye exam, Glaucoma exam, Bone density testing, Hearing test, Women’s wellness exam, Blood pressure and weight, BMI, Dermascan, Yoga sessions, and Vascular screening amongst many other screening and consultations. Every year we continue to increase the number and types of tests and screenings. We estimate 600 - 700 different types of tests/screenings/flu shots/blood test were conducted and this does not include all the consultations that were provided to the over 200 attendees.
The hall was full of attendees from all walk of life, they represented various races, ethnicities, gender and ages. With over 50 healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, techs, and medical students, all major specialization were represented to include Allergy, Asthma and Lung function, Cancer & Blood Problem, Cardiology – Heart & Blood Pressure, Dermatology – Skin Care & Rashes, Dental / Teeth Care, Diet & Nutrition, ENT – Ear, Nose & Throat, Gastroenterology – Stomach & Liver, Health & Weight Management, Neurology – Brain & Nerve Issues, Ophthalmology – Eye Care, Orthopedics – Back, Bones & Joints, Pediatric – Child Health, Physical Therapy , Primary Care – BP, Diabetes, General Health, Psychiatry & Psychology – Mind Health, Thyroid Gland , Urology & Nephrology – Prostate, Bladder & Kidney, Yoga for Health, and Women Wellness. For the first time we also had 17 county, state and other non-profit organizations join us to provide much needed information about services that are available to residents for free or at a minimal cost. Montgomery Police department representatives were on hand to discuss and provide guidance on safety, domestic violence and abuse amongst other topics.
Ravi Singh, coordinator of the health and board member of GGSF, said, “We are finally realizing our dream of bringing these health services to the community at large that are not limited to just one community. The Sikh philosophy of true Sewa (service) for the community is coming to fruition. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done to reach those who need these services. We also have a need in the community for education regarding critical subjects like domestic violence, mental or behavioral health, and general education on preventive medicine. We hope to continue on our journey with the help of our healthcare professionals in the community and our community partners.”
Dr. Sudhir Sekhsaria, Chief Medical Officer of the health fair and a trustee of GWAPI, said, “It is so good to see folks from all walks of life coming and taking advantage of these free healthcare services. We continue to expand the services that we bring to the community and this year we added the Vascular screening in addition to the many other tests and screening that we already have. With over 20 specializations being represented as well as over 17 service organizations, we are glad to be able to bring all these services at one time under one roof.”
The focus continues to be on elderly and indigenous population, though greater emphasis was again put this year on Women’s health. The organizing team of Dr. Harminder Kaur, Mayur Modi, Dr. Sudhir Sekhsaria, Dr. Harvinder Singh, Ravi Singh, Dr. Manbir Takhar, and Dr. Vijay Varma had been working on preparing for this health fair for several months. In addition, there were over 50 youth and adult volunteers came together to assist with all the preparations, setup, and helping the attendees with registration, guidance and assistance. The effort was supported by several Maryland State and County agencies including Governor's Office of Community Initiatives, County HOC, Asian, Latino and African American initiatives, Interfaith division as well several Sikh, Hindu, Asian and Jewish temples and churches.
Thanks to all the physician, medical professionals, volunteers, GGSF and GWAPI management for their support to make this event a success. Special thanks to Montgomery County Executive Office and Office of Community Partnerships for making the building available for the event. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2016 Health Fair.