Health Fair for Sandy Victims in the Rockaways January 9

ARVERNE, N.Y.– AmeriCares and 1199 SEIU are sponsoring a health fair at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center in the Rockaways on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013, to raise awareness about health care services for storm victims. Free flu vaccinations, blood pressure measurements and diabetes screenings will be offered to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The clinic at 6200 Beach Channel Drive in Arverne, N.Y., is the largest primary care provider in the hard-hit Rockaways. AmeriCares, the nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, donated 1,000 doses of flu vaccine and medical equipment for the event.

“Many families in the neighborhood are still living with friends and family because their homes are uninhabitable, and having large numbers of people living in tight quarters during flu season increases the risk of transmission,” said AmeriCares Medical Director Dr. Frank Bia, an expert in infectious diseases and medical aid for disaster survivors. “If you haven’t gotten a flu shot yet, it’s not too late. The flu season peaks in January and February and can run as late as May.”

AmeriCares has been supporting the Addabbo clinic since Sandy hit, dispatching the AmeriCares mobile clinic there and awarding $250,000 in grants to allow it to continue serving uninsured patients as well as prepare for future storms. To date, AmeriCares has provided $2.5 million in aid for 300,000 storm victims in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

1199 SEIU, which represents the healthcare workers at the Addabbo clinic, is helping in the relief effort through significant fundraising, distributing food and supplies, and running a mobile office to help storm victims apply for food replacement and disaster unemployment benefits through the Department of Labor and FEMA.

For more information, contact the clinic at 718-945-7150.

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