Livingston County Health Department workers were busy the entire evening assisting visitors to the fair with questions about H1N1 and other health care concerns. Photo by Sally Santora.
GENESEO, NY — Appropriately called the One-Stop Help Fair, the Genesee Valley Health Partnership hosted the event on Jan. 21 at St. Michael’s Church in Geneseo. Dozens of county residents attended looking for help from one or more of the more than 25 providers that were on hand to answer their questions and connect them to assistance.
“What brings many people to the help fair is information about the food distributions, health care and health insurance,” said Jean Angililli, program coordinator for GVHP.
Over 35 people signed in for the fair within 45 minutes, an indication that many people are still feeling the effects of a difficult economy either due a job loss, a low paying job or are unable to find work at all. Economic hardship affects every aspect of an individual’s life including their health, their families health, their personal credit, and even the basics of heat and electricity for their homes. A wide range of representatives participated in the help fair to assist people with all of these concerns.
“I’m really glad we’re putting it all in one place and that people feel comfortable that they come here to the help that they need. That’s what we’re here for,” Angililli explained.
For example, GVHP offers a prescription discount program that provides a 20 percent discount on many prescription drugs not covered (in full or in part) at participating pharmacies in the area. The program has saved consumers over a half million dollars since it was started four years ago and yet many people are unaware of the program.
One single parent, with her children in hand, came to speak to representatives from the Livingston County Health Department about what health care services they can recommend for this uninsured mother and her children. HD nurses say H1N1 has been on the top of the list of concerns for parents in the recent months. They were pleased to be able to direct people to any one of the numerous vaccination clinics held around the county recently.
Joe Maggerine, labor services representative with the New York State Department of Labor with the Livingston County Center for Workforce Development, talked to many people who are looking for jobs. Maggerine says contrary to what people typically think, the majority of jobs are not located on the internet. He says that market is saturated and that most job openings are discovered by word of mouth, called networking. It’s just one of the topics discussed in the three-day Job Search Workshop offered every month at Workforce Development. Maggerine says employers are hiring again and by taking the right steps outlined in the free workshop, people can find jobs.
A similar help fair was held in Dansville on Janu. 23 and Angililli says GVHP plans to host more help similar type fairs throughout the year including an upcoming health and help fair at Cal-Mum Middle School on March 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is appreciated by calling 538-3449.