Hundreds of medical professionals, language interpreters and community organizers joined forces Saturday to provide free care and resources to the 16th Annual Frederick Community Health Fair at Frederick High School.
The fair was sponsored by the Frederick Asian American Center and Frederick Health Hospital. Seventy-two organizations participated, including Frederick County government agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and the U.S. Public Health Service.
More than 3,000 people pre-registered to receive medical services Saturday, said TJ Sidikoff, AACF’s director of operations.
Those attending the health fair had access to a vast list of services, including immunizations, hepatitis and HIV testing, eye exams, dental exams, breast exams, and blood sugar and diabetes testing.
Insurance or proof of residency is not required to receive treatment at the Community Health Fair. Those with a new diagnosis at the event will be referred to health care providers in the area who can help treat and manage their symptoms.
In addition to medical services, fair organizers helped distribute hundreds of prepackaged grocery bags, coronavirus tests, masks, and other essential supplies to attendees.
Members of Hope 4 Our Children set up an activity center featuring face painting, henna tattoos and balloon animals for children who came to the fair with their parents. Other groups held information sessions in classrooms.
Sidikoff said that about half of those who pre-registered for the event requested Spanish-language services, which “really demonstrates the need for a diverse healthcare workforce in Frederick County.”
To meet that need, the organizers offer Dari, Pashto, Russian, Ukrainian, Hindi, Gujarati, Burmese, French, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Vietnamese We are looking for interpreters for , Urdu, Thai, and American Sign Language.
Brian Morales knows many people who need medical services but can’t access them because they don’t speak English or don’t have adequate health insurance. He said he was first drawn to community health fairs.
“It’s amazing to see so many barriers being broken,” Morales said. “I find there are a lot of very kind people in the Frederick community.”
Mr. Morales appreciated that many of the fair’s providers offer literature in different languages, giving people the opportunity to read about health topics at their own pace. He said he plans to volunteer at the next community health fair.
Darlene Burns, a nursing student at Frederick Community College who volunteered at the fair, was responsible for taking patients’ vitals and recording any concerns they had before sending them to doctors and physician assistants.
“You don’t realize until you’re here that demand for services is strong in Frederick,” Burns said. “People come here with tooth abscesses or long-standing pain, and they can’t get this kind of help anywhere else.”