Southern Indiana families find much-needed support at Community Health Fair – Evening News and Tribune

JEFFERSONVILLE For hundreds of Southern Indiana families, the Community Health Fair at Parkview Middle School couldnt have come at a better time.

As school season fast approaches, parents have to load shopping carts with school supplies while making room for everyday groceries. Throw health care on top of that, and some families have to make tough choices.

Chelsea and Victor Nichols, Clarksville, have three kids to shop for ahead of school. Even with two incomes, meeting the requirements can be tough.

And a lot of the stuff they require, they end up sharing with the classroom, so its like youre having to buy triple what you would normally have to buy for one kid, Chelsea said Saturday. And when you have a five-person family, its unfeasible no matter whether you work or not.

Thats why, luckily, a girlfriend of mine told me about this.

This was the sixth annual health fair organized by Eastside Christian Church and Community Action of Southern Indiana. More than an informational event, the fair and its hundreds of volunteers transformed Parkview into a temporary health clinic.

Families on lower incomes went through an intake process before being guided through the school by volunteer hosts. Each room was something different a pop-up eye doctors office, a library-turned-dentist office or even a spa.

The Nichols family mostly came for the free backpacks. Chelsea and Victors 10-year-old daughter, Nevaeh, picked out a backpack decorated with leopard spots.

Because I love big cats, she said with her cheeks perched on a smile.

Inside her new backpack, Nevaeh found glue sticks, notebooks, pencils and more. Chelsea said that alone could make all the difference.

It means everything, because I dont want my kids going to school feeling like, Oh I'm a poor kid because I couldn't afford everything we needed, she said. I don't want my kids to feel bad because we couldn't afford to buy three kids' worth of school supplies.

Health care is always on her mind, but Chelsea said she feels lucky to have her kids on Medicaid. She opted not to visit any of the makeshift clinics, wanting to leave more for the families who have less.

David Parkerson, an event coordinator and Eastside Christian Church pastor, said the timing of the fair is intentional. He knows families preparing to send their kids back to school have an even greater need. Last year, he said, about 250 families or approximately 755 people took advantage of the fair.

kids need glasses, kids need backpacks, kids may just need their teeth checked before going back to school, Parkerson said.

All of which could be taken care of Saturday thanks to the two organizations and around 360 volunteers. In addition to the volunteers from the church and surrounding communities, the fair also relies on medical professionals to donate their time and work.

Dan Brinegar, a local dentist, said about 30 people from the dental community volunteered their time to help adults and children with general checkups or longtime aches. Beyond the day of the fair, 20 area dentists donated a total of 90 free procedures for follow up appointments.

I think dental professionals enjoy coming to this because its a pretty rewarding day of dentistry. You really feel like youre able to help people, he said. So I dont have to beg people to come. A lot of times they seek me out to participate in this.

Brinegar said the clinic just wouldnt be possible without that kind of generosity.

Its the same kind of spirit that Parkerson said makes the event so special. Organizers will get to rest for about three months, but then it'll be back to getting ready for next year.

I just think its valuable when a government organization like Community Action and a faith organization like Eastside can come together and find common ground in a community, because were both after the same thing, he said. We both want to provide help and rest, and help peoples wellbeing in their everyday life.

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Southern Indiana families find much-needed support at Community Health Fair - Evening News and Tribune