BRYAN, Texas — The Community Health Fair helps bring together faces and names to resources that are available in the Brazos Valley.
There were several agencies in the area that dealt with physical health, but also mental health.
Felicia Garcia, an attendee, said she is interested in finding out more about ways resources in the area can help.
She also said many people don’t know about what Bryan and College Station has to offer.
“If you don’t have insurance coverage, seeing what resources are free, or some that accept medicate or CHIP, or any kind of stuff like that,” she said.
Nancy Arredondo, The Family Self Sufficiency Coordinator, agrees with Garcia and said it is beneficial to have this event for agencies and community members.
She said it’s a way for her to know who she is sending her clients to in the area and gives residents the chance to become more aware of what is locally available to them.
“It has also done a lot for our agency, I know that we’ve had several people within our agency even, be diagnosed with something that they were aware of they have because they went through the health fair,” Arredondo said.
She said roughly 35 different agencies signed up, including nursing students from Blinn College.
Ann Rathke, a nursing instructor, said the students were excited to get hands-on experience through screening community members and it gives them the ability to work with people.
“Relationship development is the foundation of the nursing process, so if they learn how to develop relationships with people, such as at a health fair, working in the hospital, wherever they work, the better they can get information to help that patient in knowing what to do for their healthcare,” she said.
Community members had the chance to gather information as well as collect prizes along the way at various booths.