NorthShore Health Centers hosted their annual health fair for the community this evening.
This marks the seventh time the event has been held at the U.S. Steel Yard, while the Gary SouthShore RailCats took on the Chicago Dogs. Gervay Dickerson, the Community Engagement Manager for Northshore Health Centers, believes that this environment is a great place for NorthShore to assist visitors and distribute useful health information in the process.
“The biggest benefit is that families will come ready to have fun at the baseball game, but then also have the opportunity to receive much-needed information and resources that they might not think about,” Dickerson said.
NorthShore serves as a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting quality, affordable healthcare to people throughout the Region. They have 19 clinics including five dental offices in Northwest Indiana.
Michael Plebanski, a licensed clinical social worker through NorthShore, mentions how the organization specializes in many areas related to helping those that suffer from issues of mental health and addiction.
“A big specialty of ours in the Region is that we focus on the creative side of things,” Plebanski said. “We do individual therapy, group therapy, art, music, and cooking to try and take a holistic approach. Our goal is to help these people who suffer from mental health and addiction to understand the importance of it.”
Plebanski also acknowledges that the most important way to get people to understand the significance of their treatment is through working together.
“The community plays such a huge part in recovery,” Plebanski said. “If you don’t have community, you really don’t have anything. The problems people face related to getting the help they need often starts with feeling like they can’t even talk about it. So we try to bring hope to people and let them know that there’s help out there for them.”
Many vendors were in attendance at the event. NorthShore kept the focus on a variety of different programs that follow the theme of promoting wellness and fitness, according to Dickerson.
Some of which include blood pressure checks, massages, literacy, and martial arts.
The Community Relations Specialist at NorthShore, Maysha Carlson, mentions how the different approaches for each vendor provide a unique experience for people that want to learn more about a program.
"There are a lot of vendors that are doing giveaways and providing fun ways to promote services,” Carlson said. “It’s just a special day when you get to help people that might not have the best way to obtain these resources, especially those without easy access to medical care.”
She also explains how NorthShore creates a conversation with the visitors in an attempt to learn more about their healthcare needs and provide information if they need support.
“A lot of the people that we see here are patients in need,” Carlson said. “We continue to promote our services and locations in the hope that they will come to see us and take care of themselves.”
Nashanta Robinson, an entrepreneur, is an example of somebody who has been a patient with NorthShore.
However, she was one of the vendors at this year’s health fair.
“I just enjoy meeting new people,” Robinson said. “I like to talk about NorthShore because their staff has been a blessing when it comes to personal care for not only myself but also my children.”
For more information regarding NorthShore, you can visit their website.
