On July 29, 2019, the Rich Valley Fair held its 2nd Annual Health Fair sponsored by Ballad Health. The inaugural Health Fair was geared specifically toward senior citizens, but this year it was opened to all ages, and for the second consecutive year, Blue Ridge Job Corps represented. Members of the public were able to attend the event free of charge, and had the opportunity to visit booths set up by local healthcare organizations to learn about the variety of offerings for medical care in Southwest Virginia. The specialties of the vendors ranged from home health, nursing homes, hospitals, doctor’s offices, and of course the training program of Blue Ridge Job Corps. Attendees were also able to receive various types of screenings, such as blood sugar, blood pressure, height, weight, and body mass index.
This year, Blue Ridge Job Corps was represented by Clinical Medical Assistant students Hannah McBeth and Nakia Turner, as well as Business Community Liaison Jordan Loupe. These students provided free blood pressure screenings to the health fair attendees, and they also distributed Job Corps information to attendees as well as the other vendors. Both students are planning to work as CMAs when they graduate from Blue Ridge at the end of August, and used this opportunity to further practice taking blood pressures, as well as customer service. Hannah stated “this was a good opportunity to practice our skills and get to know people in the local community,” while Nakia said “I’m glad I was able to participate because it helped me to get out of my comfort zone a little bit, and do something different.”
Blue Ridge Job Corps would like to thank the Rich Valley Fair and Ballad Health for allowing us to participate again this year. We are looking forward to the 3rd Annual Health Fair in 2020!