Over a Hundred Community Members get Free Health Services
The South Asian Helpline and Referral Agency (SAHARA) organized its first annual Health Fair under the leadership of Dr. Nitin Shah at the Sanatan Dharma Temple in Norwalk, CA on September 7, 2014 with services from the Lestonic Clinic and its dental team. Over 100 community members received free medical assistance. Through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) many uninsured and low-income individuals have obtained necessary basic medical insurance; however, many of these individuals still do not have coverage for dental and vision care. Accordingly, the Health Fair focused on providing free eye and dental care to fill up the gap.
Health Fair services also included vital signs check, measuring bone density and health education talks focused on Nutrition, Mental Health, Hepatitis B, Diabetes and Osteoporosis. SAHARA's fulfilled its mission to serve the growing South Asian community in Southern California by providing the information, referrals, skills development, and other culturally sensitive support services needed to meet the unique challenges the community faces.
Health survey results indicated that participants received the following services: 100% Vital Signs Services, 69% Dental Services, 74% Vision Services, 81% Bone Density, and 35% Health Education. Dr. Ramesh Kothari led a team of 13 dentists and 20 volunteers to provide comprehensive dental X-ray and procedures. The vision team included ophthalmologists Dr. Shaival Shah and Dr. Rishi Doshi and optometrist Dr. Julie Bhindi. Lastly, Health Education talks were given by Aditi Shah, MPH (Nutrition); Dr. Seema Arora and Dr. Sarla Karan (Mental Health); Mimi Cheng, FNP (Hepatitis B); Dr. Asit Shil (Osteoporosis); and Dr. Iqbal Munir (Diabetes).
SAHARA would like to extend its gratitude to Tarsadia Foundation, Sarva Mangal Family Trust, Block Foundation, Drs. Jasvant and Meera Modi, and Pravin and Sudha Mody for their support. SAHARA also acknowledges and thanks all the health experts, guest speakers, ABC Adult School Medical Assistant students, and the countless volunteers who supported the community.
