| For Immediate Release | Contact: Joyce Faria Brennan |
| April 10, 2007 | 508-961-5270 |
| brennanj@southcoast.org | |
 Get this release in Word format |
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NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Spring into a healthier you at the Free Community Health Fair on Saturday, April 21, in downtown New Bedford. Hosted by Southcoast Hospitals Group, the City of New Bedford and Greater New Bedford Community Health Center, the Community Health Fair is also an opportunity to learn more about the state's new Commonwealth Care insurance plans.
"Southcoast Hospitals, the City of New Bedford and the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center are joining together to spread awareness and offer a fun way for community members to stay healthy," said Beth Sylvia, Director of Patient Access Services for Southcoast Hospitals Group. "The Community Health Fair is a great opportunity to learn more about the new state insurance program, receive information on local health programs and take advantage of free screenings."
The Free Community Health Fair will be held on Saturday, April 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 560 Pleasant Street, New Bedford. The street will be closed to traffic during the event.
The Southcoast Health Van will offer free education and screenings addressing cardiac disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Health screenings include blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and medical physical referrals.
Nutritional counseling and education on the Women, Infants and Children (WIC), federal supplemental nutrition program, along with smoking cessation information will be provided by the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center.
Bilingual enrollment specialists from Southcoast Hospitals Group and the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center will be available to assist with the new Commonwealth Care State Insurance plan along with representatives from BMC HealthNet and Neighborhood Health Plan — the only two plans accepted at Southcoast Hospitals Group.
Refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center and the students at Greater New Bedford Vocational High School.
About Southcoast
Southcoast Health System, a not-for-profit charitable organization, is a community based health delivery system with multiple access points, offering an integrated continuum of advanced health services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes Southcoast Hospitals Group, formed in 1996 from the merger of Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast has more than 40 ancillary facilities, including the Southcoast Health Van, home health care, hospice and infusion services, numerous outpatient medical services, an assisted living facility and a wellness center. For more information visit www.southcoast.org.
Southcoast is one of three community hospitals approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to perform open heart surgery and primary angioplasty beginning in Spring 2002.
Media Contact
Joyce Faria Brennan
Phone: 508-961-5270
Pager: 508-387-9605
Fax: 508-961-5876
brennanj@southcoast.org
Elizabeth Treadup
City of New Bedford
508-979-1414
Lois Curley
Greater New Bedford Community Health Center
508-992-6553
