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Clayton News Daily: U.S. Rep. David Scott’s 10th Annual Health Fair to focus on veterans
Washington,
August 15, 2014
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Healthcare
By Cailin O’Brien JONESBORO — The Atlanta Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center and Atlanta Veteran’s Affairs Regional Office will participate in U.S. Rep. David Scott’s 10th Annual Health Fair for the first time this weekend. The VA will be on site at Mundy’s Mill High School, 9652 Fayetteville Road, Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. to offer free counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health services during the event. Health eligibility representatives will also be on site to help schedule appointments for veterans whose names are on waiting lists. Scott said he brought the VA into the health fair as part of his bigger effort to assure soldiers coming home from battle get the help they need. “Our veterans are the heart and soul of this country and we have to do better for them,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been on this, we’ve had a serious problem. It is both a crisis and a shame — a national crisis and a national shame — the way our vets have been treated.” Scott helped pass the Ensuring Veterans Resiliency Act, a $17 billion bill aimed at helping veterans get mental health services. He said he was moved to author the bill after discovering that about 6,000 veterans commit suicide each year. “That’s my proudest achievement since I’ve been in this position — helping to cut down on these suicides,” he said. This year’s health fair will also feature HomeSafe Georgia, a company that can deliver mortgage assistance to homeowners facing unemployment, a death in the family, sickness or other debilitating problems that could affect their financial situation. Scott said this service could also help struggling veterans. “Many of them receive notices on the battlefield that their mortgages are in trouble,” he said. But this year’s health fair isn’t just for veterans. Scott said he wants to invite all residents to come out and get a free check-up. Participants can come out to be screened for prostate cancer, breast cancer, HIV/Aids, diabetes, healthy blood pressure, asthma, cholesterol, mental health problems, memory problems and sickle cell anemia. Residents can also check up on their visual and dental health. Scott said he was proud of this year’s fair. He said he wanted to thank his staff for helping him to set the whole thing up and the health vendors for agreeing to offer their services for free. “This is a community effort — a real team effort,” he said. Now all the fair needs is resident participation. Scott urged all his constituents to attend. “You can have all the money in the world,” he said. “You can have the best of everything, but if you don’t have your health and your strength, then it’s inconsequential in terms of your happiness.” Here’s a list of vendors who will participate in this year’s health fair:
More information is available at: Clayton News Daily: U.S. Rep. David Scott’s 10th Annual Health Fair to focus on veterans. |