On April 20, the Kiwanis Club of Arlington and VHC Health (Virginia Hospital Center) collaborated to organize the first-ever health fair at Alice West Fleet Elementary School. The event aimed to provide healthcare services to low-income residents, the uninsured, and underinsured individuals. Megan Canote, BSN, RN, director of the VHC Health Outpatient Clinic, stated that several social-safety-net agencies were present at the fair, including the Arlington Food Assistance Center, Doorways, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Arlington County government personnel.
The Kiwanis Club secured funding for the event through the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation. Julie Wright from Kiwanians provided organizational support for the fair. While open to all attendees, publicity efforts were focused on reaching apartment buildings along Columbia Pike and nearby areas to target the desired audience.
As interest in participating grew, more safety-net agencies and vendors joined in at the health fair. Community outreach was conducted in both English and Spanish with plans to translate materials into Mongolian for next year’s event to cater to another significant demographic within Arlington’s immigrant community as mentioned by Canote.
