United Way is holding first-ever Community Health Fair in Pocatello on Friday
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POCATELLO — United Way of Southeastern Idaho is holding a Community Health Fair on May 12 — its first ever. United Way is able to hold this event thanks to a grant they received from Get Healthy Idaho, which is based in the Department of Health and Welfare.
Amy Wuest, Director of Health at United Way, said the fair will have activities that all ages can enjoy and learn from, including a bounce house for children to play on and health screenings for adults so they can learn their blood pressure and heart condition. There will be games that people can participate in such as corn hole, bean bag toss as well as a prize wheel.
People will also be able to eat food provided by Palate Neighborhood Bistro, which will be free to all attendees. Those who would like to eat are encouraged to show up at the beginning of the fair while food is still available.
But Wuest said the real goal of this fair is to connect people with resources that are available in the area to meet needs of the community. She also said that it gives the participating organizations the opportunity to assess what community needs aren’t currently being met.
“It gives us the opportunity to ask our community what their health needs are and to try to respond innovatively to those needs,” Wuest said. “It’s a community-driven health initiative and that’s so rare because so often health initiatives come from the top down.”
Wuest said the organizations at the fair serve a variety of needs, for people of all ages. For example, the Bannock Youth Foundation serves at risk youth while the Behavior Health Crisis Center only serves adults.
There will be fifteen organizations there to table and share free health information and resources:
- Southeast Idaho Behavioral Crisis Center
- Pocatello Free Clinic
- Bannock Youth Foundation
- Southeastern Idaho Public Health
- Health West
- Portneuf Wound Care and Hyperbarics
- Idaho State University Community Health Worker Training Program
- The Center for Hope South
- Family Services Alliance
- Idaho Central Credit Union
- Valley Mission
- A New Hope
- City of Pocatello – Neighborhood and Community Services
- Area V Agency on Aging
- Idaho Harm Reduction Project
Wuest said when someone has a life or health challenge crop up in their life, it can be sudden and unexpected. Knowing which community resources are available can help a person better know what to do when faced with life-changing problems.
“The most valuable thing that folks can gain access to is information about the resources in our community,” Wuest said. “I truly think most community members would be surprised to know about all of the amazing resources and services available.”
The fair will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and it will be held at Caldwell Park in Pocatello. While there are currently no plans to hold another one in the future, that could change if this fair is successful.
“Never say never,” said Wuest. “We’ll see how this one goes, but if it’s a success then we might look at doing it again.”