Free Comprehensive Health Fair Comes to Susan Moore Elementary and High School in Blount County on October 18, 19

BLOUNTSVILLE – The Health Committee of the Central Alabama region of Governor Bob Riley’s new Alabama Rural Action Commission (ARAC) is partnering with Karing for Kids, Alabama Power Foundation, and the Alabama Child Caring Foundation of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama to host a free comprehensive health fair at Susan Moore Elementary and High School in Blount County.  The health fair will take place Thursday, October 18 and Friday, October 19 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Elementary students will be screened on Thursday and high school students will be screened on Friday.  The screenings will take place at Susan Moore High School which is located at 4040 Susan Moore Road in Blountsville. 

The students attending the health fairs will have head to toe assessments: height and weight, blood pressure, heart and lung sounds, heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, examination of ears, vision screenings, and dental screenings.  Over 500 students will be screened at this health fair.  Other partners include Wallace State Pediatric Students, Blount County Board of Education, and local businesses.  Partners of the event will also work to ensure that any child in need of follow-up treatment is able to receive that care.

Al Rohling, Executive Director of the Alabama Child Caring Foundation, said, "The health fairs at Susan Moore will assess each child's health, and present a report to parents which will identify necessary and/or desirable corrective actions.  In addition, appropriate referrals to school nurses or to health providers in the community will be made, and medical coverage will be provided to uninsured children who are eligible either for Alabama Medicaid, ALLKids, or Alabama Child Caring Foundation. 

“The health committee is excited to be a part of this health fair.  Screening and health education is a crucial part of improving health conditions across our state.  Therefore this committee wants to make this a focus.  We want to take what has already been established, use our resources and enhance future health fairs so we can create a model that can be duplicated across the state,” said Tracy Smith, CEO of Kid One Transport and Health Committee Co-Chair of the Central Alabama Action Commission.

The Central Alabama Action Commission held their regional kickoff on August 9^th of this year.  State Representative Cam Ward of Alabaster and Paul Glass, a founding member of Southern Insights, serve as Regional Co-Chairs in Central Alabama.  The Health Committee in Central Alabama is making comprehensive health fairs part of the focus of their work.  Along with Tracy Smith of Kid One Transport, Andrea Anderson-Nix, Executive Director of the Community Health Charities of Alabama, serves as a Health Committee Co-Chair of the Central Alabama region of the Alabama Rural Action Commission. The counties in the Central Alabama region of the ARAC are Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker Counties.

The Alabama Rural Action Commission is comprised of 8 regional Action Commissions encompassing all 67 Alabama counties. Former State Senator Gerald Dial serves as the Executive Director of Alabama Rural Action Commission.  In phase one, the ARAC is focusing on Economic Development, Workforce Development, Health and Education. The ARAC plan leaves autonomy with the regional leadership to create further committees as deemed necessary to focus on local issues.  For more information on the Alabama Rural Action Commission or the Blountsville health fairs, please contact Chad Nichols at Chad.Nichols@adeca.alabama.gov or by dialing (334) 414-3156.