Screenings, Exhibits and Fun at Local Health Fair

yoga Residents of Mamaroneck and other Sound Shore communities participated in a day of health awareness on Saturday, September 17 at the 3rd Annual Access to Care Health Fair in Mamaroneck. Adults took advantage of health screenings and informational exhibits while children and their families enjoyed Zumba, yoga, Tai Chi, Cuerpaso, games and healthy snacks.

Hosted by the French-American School of New York, the fair was organized by the Rye YMCA and the Community Resource Center of Larchmont-Mamaroneck, leaders of Healthier Mamaroneck, a strong and proactive community coalition that brings together local leaders, health and social service providers and residents to respond to the needs to low-income families and individuals.

Residents who stopped by the school found representatives of more than 20 health and social service agencies, many with bilingual staff ready to conduct screenings and answer questions. By mid-afternoon when the fair ended, over 350 screenings, vaccines and exams were conducted; the most popular were glucose screenings, flu vaccines, blood pressure checks and dental assessments. In addition to services offered in the school’s gymnasium, participants visited Open Door Family Medical Centers’ dental van and Planned Parenthood’s medical van for rapid HIV testing. New York Life Insurance provided child identification cards for all children. People who were found to have health concerns or risks were referred for follow-up care.

Event sponsors included:
• Affinity Health Plan
• Burke Rehabilitation
• Fidelis Care New York
• Formé Medical Center
• Greenwich Hospital
• Ray Catena Lexus of Larchmont
• Montefiore New Rochelle
• MVP Healthcare
• Open Door Family Medical Centers
• Stop and Shop
• WESTMED Medical Group
• White Plains Hospital

Laura Tiedge, the Rye YMCA’s Senior Director of Healthy Living and the chairperson of Healthier Mamaroneck, remarked “It’s exciting to see people taking control of their health. While Mamaroneck residents don’t have easy access to one-stop health care, we’re hopeful that they are now more aware of the services that do exist for them.