Health fair in Livingston provides free exams to the medically underserved

Despite Saturday’s early showers, Livingston Community Health gathered a crowd of people seeking free medical screenings at its annual Spring Health Fair.

In addition to regular patient hours, the clinic opened its doors from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. to those who either because of timing or lack of insurance do not receive regular check-ups.

Available were labs for adults, including glucose and cholesterol exams, as well as dental and vision screenings. As of noon on Saturday, clinic staff had administered 46 flu shots.

Amelia Johnson, director of program and development at Livingston Community Health, said the clinic has held its Spring Fair for at least 15 years, and continues to do do because of the need in the community. While most in attendance were Livingston residents, people from surrounding areas like Atwater and Hilmar also made their way to the health fair.

Remya Niranjan, a dentist at Livingston Community Health, said the majority of the patients she saw Saturday were uninsured, and most had not seen a dentist in quite some time.

While services were provided to everyone regardless of health coverage status, she and her dental assistants routed patients to the Covered California booth outside the clinic. Once insured, patients will be more likely to seek follow-up services, she said.

Niranjan will be part of a team of two dentists and four dental assistants that will operate a new dental office in Hilmar. The dental clinic is scheduled to open to the public on May 4. Niranjan said Livingston Community Health’s new dental clinic will accept Medi-Cal and will also offer fee arrangements to those who qualify.

In addition to the medical screenings, a number of community organizations set up booths outside the clinic, promoting services such as gym memberships and habits such as healthy eating and exercising.

This story was originally published April 25, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Health fair in Livingston provides free exams to the medically underserved."