Health and wellness expo set on Saturday
Concerned with the growing rate of medically uninsured in Lee County as more and more people lose their jobs, a group of citizens are reaching out to help people access basic health care services through a health and wellness expo.
Sponsored by 21st Century C.A.R.E. and the Southwest Florida Coalition for Change, organizers are also making provisions where possible for expo participants to receive follow-up care.
The expo will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Grace Church at its Olga Fort Myers Shores Campus, 14036 Matanzas Drive, East Fort Myers.
Event coordinator Pat Noe, of 21st Century C.A.R.E., said she was driven to hold the expo after seeing firsthand the despair, fear and desperation of cancer patients without health insurance, as well as those on the breadline.
With some 46 million Americans without health insurance, the expo is timely – happening as Congress is set to begin talks to hammer out legislation for overhauling the country’s health care system before a monthlong recess that begins Aug. 3.
Services to be provided at the expo include assistance with Medicaid and Kid Care applications, insurance and prescription assistance, breast and cervical screening, testing for diabetes and osteoporosis, and smoking cessation.
There will also be information: on services for the visually impaired; for seniors through SHINE, the state health insurance assistance program for elders; and on HIV, hepatitis and HPV-STDS.
Free massages will be offered, and haircuts and refreshments at a reduced cost. There will also be food donations from Kids Against Hunger.
More than 20 companies are donating services and resources including Family Health Centers, Lee County Health Department, Partners for Breast Cancer Care, Associates in Dermatology, Southwest Florida Addiction Services, Al-Anon and United Way.
For information on the health and wellness expo, contact Grace Church at 694-2797.