2nd Annual MLK Day Health Fair Hosted by Eastern CT Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Inc.

Windham County - Eastern Connecticut Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Inc. is hosting their 2nd Annual Health Fair on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service scheduled for January 19, 2015 from 1:00-5:00 pm at Calvary Fellowship Church, 2 Birch Street, Willimantic, CT 06226. This event is free and open to the public.

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President’s national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.” Projects are taking place in all fifty states and include delivering meals, refurbishing schools and community centers, collecting food and clothing, signing up mentors, reading to children, promoting nonviolence, and much more. In Eastern Connecticut, Eastern CT AHEC, Inc. will remember Dr. King’s life and legacy by encouraging residents of Windham County to take action toward health equity within their communities.

The Connecticut AHEC Program, a non-profit organization, was established in 1995 by the Connecticut General Assembly and received initial federal funding in 1997. The CT AHEC Program is based at the University of Connecticut, School of Medicine in Farmington and implemented by four regional AHEC’s, including Eastern CT AHEC, Inc. which is located in Willimantic, CT.

Eastern CT AHEC, Inc.’s Health Fair on MLK Day of Service will begin with a keynote speaker, Stephanie Guess, Director of Managed Services at the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Southeastern CT Mental Health region. Throughout the day, the Health Fair will offer educational tables, health screenings and raffle prizes. The goal of the Health Fair is to engage the community in disease prevention and health promotion by fostering health, wellness and medical care awareness. Collaborative partners include, but are not limited to; Generations Family Health Center, Windham Hospital, Inter-professional Education (IPE) Clinic, NAACP, ECSU Black Student Union, ECSU Peace and Human Rights, Planned Parenthood, Calvary Fellowship Church, Willimantic Police, Access Health CT, Connecticut VA, Lupus Foundation of America, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association and American Heart Association. They will provide information about their services, programs and volunteer opportunities available to the community.

For more information regarding this event, please contact Eastern CT AHEC, Inc. AmeriCorps members David Lau, Youth Health Service Corps (YHSC) Coordinator, at lau@easternctahec.org or Gina Lopez, Collegiate Health Service Corps (CHSC) Coordinator, at lopez@easternctahec.org or call 860-465-8281 ext. 105.

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Eastern CT AHEC Inc.’s mission is to enhance access to culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare education and increase the diversity, quality, and distribution of future healthcare professionals.

Refer to http://easternctahec.org/ to learn more about Eastern CT AHEC, Inc.