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Over 350 People Avail of Free Consultancy & Tests at SAI Health Fair

BY MAHADEV DESAI
Photos by Vinod Devlia

Atlanta, GA: The 33rd Sai Health Fair in coordination with Georgia Indian Nurses Association (GINA), held at the Global Mall on Sunday, March 15, 2015, elicited a very good response, with an attendance of over 350 participants. The fair was spearheaded by Dr. Sujatha Reddy and supported by Sangisetti Charitable Foundation, physicians, health care professionals and volunteers.

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 fromMilanEyeCentercarried out over 60 glaucoma and vision screening tests. Thirty audio screenings were done by Dr. Sridhar Krishnamurthy fromAuburn University,Alabama.

More than 32 bone-mineral-density tests, were performed by the 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 Two volunteers manned the National Marrow Donor Program, to recruit potential lifesaving donors to Be The Match Marrow Registry, Atlanta Office.

Fitness instructor and lifestyle & weight management coach Aarti Patel provided exercise and weight management advice.

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. 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 healthcare 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 atGeorgiaStateUniversity’s Psychology clinic.”

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.

Vinod Devlia helped with photography services. GINA’s President Lilly Anickat lauded Dr. Sujatha Reddy and said, “Georgia Indian Nurses Association (GINA) was very proud to be a part of the successful health fair and is thankful to Dr. Reddy for inviting us to coordinate the event with her.”

Lilly Anickat and Mary Jose – ex-president and advisory board chair of GINA, along with GINA’s governing body members were in the frontline for coordinating this event. GINA has provided 25 volunteers, including 22 nurses, two nursing students, and one medical student.

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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