From left: George Washington School of Nursing students Brittni Dipatrizio and Emily Cohen prepare to volunteer at the Share, Inc., Health Fair held Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the basement of the McLean Baptist Church located at 1367 Chain Bridge Road. Photo by Claire Caplan
Share, Inc., hosted their second free health fair on Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the basement of the McLean Baptist Church. The all-volunteer nonprofit corporation has been known for providing emergency assistance to those less fortunate in McLean, Pimmit Hills, and nearby areas of Northern Virginia through its food, clothing, school supplies, and financial assistance programs. Share has expanded its programming to include educating clients about key healthcare topics.
Thirty Share clients attended the health fair which was supported by students from the George Washington University School of Nursing through their Community and Global Health Initiative of volunteer service. The nursing students offered information to Share clients on six healthcare topics: Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Women’s Health, Healthy Eating, Vision, Asthma, and Flu Prevention.
Share provided two Spanish-speaking interpreters to translate as needed. Therese Dyer-Caplan is Chairperson of the Share Food Pantry and helped to oversee the health fair. Dyer-Caplan said many of the Share clients were particularly enthusiastic about the blood pressure screening and the vision tests.
A grassroots marketing campaign made sense to advertise the event due to the target audience, time, and budget. According to Dyer-Caplan, Claire Caplan, another Share volunteer advertised the health fair to program participates by handing out flyers in Spanish and English as well as "talking up" the event resulting in 30 clients attending the two-hour fair. Due to the unprecedented turnout, Dyer-Caplan said Share seeks to hold two health fairs each year. One is scheduled for February 2018 and the other later in the year.
Share, Inc., has been serving the community for 43 years and is housed in the basement of the McLean Baptist Church (1367 Chain Bridge Road) with a food pantry and clothing room. Visit www.shareofmclean.org or call 703-356-8080.