Huge Turnout at the SAI Health Fair
Mahadev Desai
Pics. by Vinod Devlia
The 33rd Sai Health Fair in coordination with Georgia Indian
Nurses Association (GINA), in the Global Mall, Norcross,
Georgia, on Sunday, March 15, 2015, elicited a very good
response with an attendance of over 350 participants. The
exemplary SAI Health Fair was spearheaded by well-known
physician, Dr. Sujatha Reddy and was organized as a tribute to
the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and also to promote his
and Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophies of Non-violence,
community service and Social justice. The event was also
sponsored and strongly supported by Sangisetti Charitable
Foundation, physicians, health care professionals and
volunteers.
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With GINA nurses. Next to Dr.Reddy in
blue dress GINA Pres.Lilly Anickat. |
People of diverse nationalities and cultures from all over
Atlanta availed themselves of the free consultancy and tests
services provided by over 29 dedicated physicians representing
14 specialties, supported by over 25 nurses and technicians and
35 service-oriented volunteers who attended to the various
health related concerns of the people after they registered for
blood tests, free EKGs; free glaucoma and vision screenings;
pediatrics; ENT;dermatology;OB/GYN;preventive Cardiology tests,
free Bone Density tests to detect osteoporosis and free
Consultancy in, Internal medicine, Family
Medicine,cardiology,dentistry,endocrinology,gastroenterology,opthalmology,orthopedics,
and nephrology.
Over 120 EKGs were carried out by Gwinnett Heart Specialists.
Dr.Niraj Desai and Dr.Milan Patel from Milan Eye Center carried
out over 60 Glaucoma and vision screening tests.”
Thirty audio screenings were done by Dr.Sridhar Krishnamurthy
from Auburn University, Alabama.
More than 32 bone-mineral--density tests, were performed by a
team of Madhusudhana Reddy ;,Vijaya Reddy;Janet Augustine; Leela
Kaul; and Vasantha Bandari,
Over 120 cost –effective, basic quality comprehensive Chemistry
profile of blood tests with PSA, and HBA1c were carried out at a
nominal fee of $25 per test. The lab work was provided by
American Clinical Labs. Inc.in Stone Mountain. It is noteworthy
that the results of the blood work are mailed within a week! The
test results help to identify some life threatening results
which are immediately notified to the participants.
Stroke Risk Factor Education was provided by Elizabeth and
Joshua Dunn from Emory Stroke Center. Stroke is a leading cause
of death in the U.S Also called a brain attack; a stroke occurs
when a clot blocks the blood supply to the brain or when a blood
vessel in the brain bursts. Time is critical in preventing long
term damage so the patient must be taken to the hospital
immediately.
Two volunteers manned the National Marrow Donor Program, to
recruit potential lifesaving donors to Be The Match Marrow
Registry, Atlanta Office.
Personal and Group Fitness Instructor and Lifestyle and Weight
Management Coach Aarti Patel provided Exercise and Weight
Management advice.
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Seated from Left: Dr.Shital
Gaitonde;Dr.Deepa Ranganathan(in MD Junior T shirt and
green scrubs) and team.
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Neonatologist and Chief Mentor Dr. Deepa Ranganathan commented,”
"As chief mentor with MDJunior, a White House recognized
student -run 501(c)3 non-profit organization, whose mission is
“Inspiring selfless service through mentorship”, I often get an
opportunity to work alongside teens in a service mission. Last
week was a unique experience at the Sai Health fair, to work
with several high-school students from the South Forsyth High
MDJunior Chapter. This event was organized by Dr.Sujatha Reddy
and the Georgia Indian Nurses association. What we experienced
was a well-planned and well executed event. It truly served the
underserved, as except for a nominal fee for blood test, a wide
range of free health screenings were provided by volunteer
physicians and other healthcare professionals. For our young
students, it was a profound experience as they got to see
firsthand and learn about many aspects of health care including
EKGs, hearing screening, bone densitometry, vital signs, etc.
and interacted directly with the physicians and other healthcare
professionals one -on-one, while helping out as volunteers. Most
importantly, the healthcare professionals at this event
exemplified “selfless service”, as role models, truly fulfilling
the mission of MDJunior as a leadership society. The students
and I are grateful to have been a part of this experience."
Dr.Shital Gaitonde,Ph.D,Georgia State University, Psychology
Clinic, commented,” On behalf of the Georgia Psychological
Association's Diversity Council and the Public Education council
and Georgia State University's Psychology clinic, I would like
to congratulate the health fair planning committee for making
Sai health fair a success.
It was a great pleasure to serve the
community at the fair. We had several people stop by our booth
to inquire about what a psychologist does and how the
psychologist can help with their problems. We were able to talk
to them about general stress management techniques, when to seek
professional help for psychological issues, and how to find the
resources in the community. We were able to answer questions
about what various professionals' roles are in the mental health
field (psychiatrist vs. counselors vs. psychologists). Also, we
were able to talk to them about the availability of low-cost
therapy services at Georgia State University's Psychology
clinic. We all know that there are several chronic health
conditions which can be linked to mental health issues which
significantly affect people's quality of life and increase
demands on healthcare. Thus public awareness programs such as
these that promote encouraging people to take care of their
overall health (mental and physical), will help people to come
out of their preconceived notions about mental health and
explore further options. This supports the missions of both the
organizations (GPA and GSU Psychology clinic) that I
represented.
Snacks, fruits and drinks were provided to all the participants
by Charter Anchor Hospital and GINA provided delicious lunch to
all the doctors, technicians and volunteers.
SAI Health Fair publicity and coverage was provided by Atlanta’s
digital and print media, and Anjali Chhabria of TV Asia. Vinod
Devlia helped with photography services. GINA’s President Lilly
Anickat lauded Dr.Sujatha and said, “SAI Health fair conducted
on 03/15/2015 at Global Mall, Norcross, GA was a grand success.
Georgia Indian Nurses Association (GINA) is very proud to be a
part of the event and thankful to Dr. Reddy for inviting us to
coordinate the event with her. Lilly Anickat - the president of
GINA, Mary Jose – ex-president and advisory board chair of GINA,
along with GINA’s governing body members were in frontline for
coordinating this great event. GINA has provided 25 volunteers,
including 22 nurses, 2 nursing students, and one medical
student. During the event, these volunteers helped in various
areas of the event such as registration, triage, checking
height, weight & BMI, lab works, EKG, hearing screening, bone
density screening, evaluation, etc. Today’s health fair marked
as memorable and an important day in GINA’s calendar.”
Dr. Sujatha Reddy profusely thanked Shiv Aggarwal for providing
accommodation at the Global Mall. She further thanked GINA
President Lilly Anickat; ex-President Mary Jose; Ravi Ponangi;
supporting sponsors; the team of physicians, nurses, and
dedicated volunteers who together helped make the SAI Health
Fair a big success.
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