Montclair’s Annual Health Fair Draws Hundreds

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

The First Church of Montclair in New Jersey recently hosted its 12th annual Community Health Fair. The health and community service departments worked together to offer free health screenings, education and food to more than 300 attendees.

Vendors from the Barnabas Mountainside Hospital (N.J.), the local fire department and even local dentists offered complimentary screenings, nutritional lessons and safety education at the Glenfield Park. This year the church introduced the “Brown Bag Medication Review,” which allowed residency students from Seton Hall University and the Hackensack University Medical Center a chance to sit down with the fair’s attendees and review their current medications and prescriptions. Students explained how prescriptions work and proper instruction on intake.

The health fair created a caring environment for all ages, and supplied resources and solutions for common health, nursing or safety issues. Church members even prayed with community members and attendees to address spiritual health needs.

This event focused on ministering to the local church community with a special focus on holistic care. “The hope is that we are able to provide a basic need of health care,” said Health Ministries co-leader Sergine Abellard. “Many people are without health insurance or are not always able to make it to the doctor, so we bring the physician to them.”