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PAINTSVILLE, Ky. — The Big Sandy Area Community Action Program hosted its third-annual Community Health Fair Wednesday for Johnson and Magoffin counties at the Johnson County Middle School.

The event was free and offered a chance to connect with area healthcare providers and programs geared toward enhancing health. Health information and screenings were provided along with outreach materials, giveaways and door prizes.

A wide variety of organizations were on hand to help participants.

“We started a few years ago in just one of our counties — in Floyd County — and it seemed to go over really well,” said Big Sandy Area Community Action Program Executive Director Mike Howell. “So, we decided to expand that into our other counties.”

“Fortunes can change on a dime,” added Sarah Hill with Big Sandy Area Community Action Program. “Maybe you could afford a health exam earlier in the year, but maybe not now. We want to make sure that we’re working with all of our fantastic partners to get these services out to people who really need them.”

Healthcare providers offered EKG’s, sports physicals for kids and teens, non-fasting blood work, A1C checks, vision screenings and much more.

“Each year our agency does a community needs assessment. The general public, the various service providers in our region and just different folks participate in that survey and health is always near the top of the needs for the area,” said Howell. 

“We want to make sure that everyone has access to these services. There are a lot of health fairs held over the course of the year and in different places. We want to make sure that everyone gets a chance,” said Hill.

The Big Sandy Area Community Outreach Program is hosting a health fair Thursday in Martin County at the Roy F. Collier Community Center at 1 o’clock.