Wellness Fair welcomes all

In celebration of Welcoming Week 2024, three local organizations are bringing back the popular Health and Wellness Fair Sunday, September 22, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. at Ponderosa Park in Bend. Mosaic Community Health, Volunteers in Medicine, and Deschutes County Health Services are co-hosting the second annual outdoor event to welcome immigrant, refugee, Latino, and other community members and provide easy access to useful information for improving health and well-being.

“We aim to improve the health and wellness of community members who are most affected by health disparities and inequities,” said Shana Falb, community partnerships and engagement, Deschutes County Health Services. “The event showcases vetted healthcare providers and social service organizations to improve community access and ultimately reduce those health inequities.”

The Health and Wellness Fair aims to increase awareness of where Central Oregon community members can receive medical and pregnancy-related healthcare, social services, vaccine education, and other care addressing social determinants of health. In addition, the event will provide on-site health services such as emergency dental care, blood pressure checks, and education on hypertension, diabetes, and more.

“A key obstacle to improved health outcomes for Latino and other immigrant community members is access to information, including where and how to access health services and providers,” said Jason Villanueva, Mosaic Spanish Communications Coordinator. “Our goal is to bring people together and ultimately improve the health and wellness of some of our community’s most vulnerable members.”

The event will offer activities such as group classes facilitated in Spanish, free nutritious food from a local vendor, and fun health education activities for children and families. Interpretation services in multiple languages will be provided for any community member to access, and most participating vendors will have bilingual staff.