Christiansburg – Bringing health care to those who need it most, Thursday, the Virginia Poverty Law center hosted a health fair in the New River Valley.
Issues like food insecurity, loss of Medicaid coverage, and lack of transportation are challenges facing many low and moderate-income families. The center said traditional health fairs have not been effective reaching those struggling individuals so Virginia Poverty Law Center’s Enroll Virginia is partnering with the community housing program to offer these health fairs at all six properties this month.
Rhonda Seltz, Healthcare Navigator for Virginia Poverty Law Center said many residents in the New River Valley don’t have the resources they need since government protections were lifted.
“Since the pandemic, a lot of protections that were in place that covered Medicaid, snap benefits and food stamps were lifted. So there are a lot of folks out there that continue to struggle so we decided that we would go ahead and pull together as a community and bring services to them,” Seltz said.
Thursday’s health fair was held at Linden Green apartments and connected residents directly with community resources like New River Community Action, the Area Agency on Aging and the Women’s Resource Center.
Enroll Virginia is a network of community-based organizations committed to helping Virginians access high-quality, affordable health coverage. The program, offered from Virginia Poverty Law Center, provides navigators like Seltz and enrollment experts that are trained and certified to provide free, unbiased assistance with health insurance options available through the Marketplace, Medicaid, and FAMIS.