Albany health fair spreads community resources

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - The Albany Parks and Recreations Department hosted a community health fair on Tuesday in partnership with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, the University of Georgia and The Department of Public Health.

Phoebe officials said even before the COVID-19 pandemic, people weren’t getting their regular checkups. Now, they’re bringing health resources right into people’s neighborhoods.

“You can just take a look around in the community. By the numbers that are given, obesity strives a lot more people than you can see,” Bert Bacon, Albany Parks and Recs Health And Wellness manager, said.

It’s not just obesity that’s raising concerns, but also underlying health issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure. More than 30 million people in the U.S. are impacted by health issues like diabetes, according to health.gov.

That fact and more health concerns are why Tuesday’s community health fair gave people a chance to check their status and get vaccinated. All for free.

“When you’re looking at post-COVID wellness, that’s very important to make sure we are following up with our doctors, getting back into the world of being healthier,” Angie Barber, Phoebe liaison for community outreach, said.

Herbert Stinson, an Albany resident, said the health fair also gave him information on how to improve physical health. He added that being aware of new fitness habits has improved his health tremendously.

“Everything checking out real well for me. I feel a lot better than I used to feel. And it’s really helping the community too,” Stinson said.

The next health fair is scheduled for March 21 at Thorton Community Club at 210 Thorton Drive. If you’re looking for more information about the next wellness fair, you can call Phoebe’s Network of Trust at (229) 312-4620.

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