Health fair provides info about low-cost services

Town residents received free medical screenings and information Saturday as part of an annual fair organized by students.

The North Carolina Health Careers Access Program, a University organization, put on the fair with the goal of informing residents where they could receive low-cost local medical services.

“We have different missions, but the health fair is our signature event,” said president Crystal Barnes, a UNC senior.

More than 100 people showed up to the event in the Hargraves Community Center on Roberson Street, Barnes said.

“We organized the event to provide our community with health information,” she said. “There are a lot of low-income people in Chapel Hill, and a lot of people here do not have access to proper health care.”

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., health professionals and students provided visitors health information and various free services, like blood pressure checks or dental screenings. Much of the information was provided in Spanish.

The UNC Kidney Center offered free tests to detect kidney diseases. The group aimed specifically in finding advanced kidney disease cases because there are so many in the state, said Caroline Jennette, a research specialist from the UNC Kidney Center.

“North Carolina is ninth in the nation for prevalence of advanced end stage kidney disease, so the aim of the UNC Kidney Center is to keep people from getting the disease,” she said.

“Advanced end stage kidney disease often comes when diabetes are not treated.”

The Student Health Action Coalition, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center and Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers Inc. were some of the 14 associations that participated in the health fair.

Near one of the tables, dental students were checking visitors’ teeth for decay and cavities, as well as signs of mouth cancer.

“Although we cannot do any kind of dental work here, we can at least tell the people what they can do,” said Christopher Vo, a student at the UNC School of Dentistry and a member of the University’s Hispanic Student Dental Association.

“If they want to be cured, they can get services at a reduced price at the school,” he said.

Barnes said the group thought about organizing the fair in Durham because there is a great need there, but did not because the group felt it needed to give back to the Chapel Hill community.

“I did not hear of any other fair like this in the state,” said Barnes. “I think we are pretty unique.”

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.