A visitor to Big Sandy Area Community Action Program’s Community Health Fair held in Inez last week received a free blood pressure screening from Tug Valley ARH.

Big Sandy Area Community Action Program (BSACAP) held their annual Community Health Fair on Tuesday at the Roy F. Collier Community Center in Inez. The free event assisted Martin County residents to connect with healthcare providers in the area.

Martin Countians were treated to free A1C screenings, blood pressure checks, stroke screenings, fall prevention strategies, healthy recipes, strength training strategies, health insurance options, and lots of great information.

BSACAP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the providing comprehensive services to low-income families in order to help them improve their economic situation. Kim Vicars, BSACAP’s Community Service Block Grant Manager, explained that each year the organization conducts a survey of area citizens in order to learn about their most pressing concerns. Vicars stated that health has consistently ranked among the top five concerns for the last several years.

“This Health Fair is one way we are working to tailor our services to the specific needs of the communities we serve,” she said. “It helps us to reach out to some of the most vulnerable people in our community and provide them with information about the healthcare options available to them and the vital health services they may need.”

BSACAP Executive Director Mike Howell explained, “At BSACAP, we fight poverty and promote economic development by helping individuals and families in our area achieve self-sufficiency. We provide job and workforce services for people of all ages, college scholarships, the Garden Seed nutrition program, the Weatherization Assistance Program, and many other programs, but we know that the health of our citizens is the foundation of the educational and economic success of our region, and we want to work to ensure a strong and healthy workforce is available.”

Organizations represented this year were Anthem BlueCross and BlueShield, Appalachian Hospice Care, Big Sandy Area Development District, Big Sandy Community and Technical College, Big Sandy Diabetes Coalition, Big Sandy Health Care, CareSource, Commonwealth Educational Opportunity Center, Inez Physical Therapy, Kentucky Farm Bureau, Kentucky Homeplace Clinic, Martin County Adult Education, Martin County Extension Office, Martin County Health Department, Mountain Comprehensive Care, Office for the Blind, Passport Health, SCHS LINKS/YSC, Transamerica Bank, Tug Valley ARH, USDA Rural Development Center, and the VA Medical Center.

Donations and door prizes were offered by the Roy F. Collier Community Center, Embody Massage, Inez Deposit Bank, Main Street Cinema, Teaberries Café and Catering, UK Extension Office, Anthem BlueCross/BlueShield, Big Sandy Community & Technical College, and SCHS LINKS/YSC.  Refreshments were provided by Inez Save-A-Lot and Inez IGA.

The Community Health Fair is funded, in part, by the Community Services Block Grant made available by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more information about Big Sandy Area Community Action Program, call (606) 298-3217.