THOMAS COUNTY, GA — A free health expo in Thomasville will provide residents with essential medical screenings, vaccines, and resources to improve local healthcare access.
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A free health expo will connect Thomasville residents with essential medical resources and screenings this Saturday, addressing high health disparities and limited access to primary care in Thomas County.
The event will take place at First Missionary Baptist Church from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The expo is a partnership between the Tallahassee chapter of Links Incorporated, FAMU College of Pharmacy, and Archbold Medical Center.
Dr. Darice Richard-Mitchell is the Vice President of Links Incorporated.
"Just by being a rural county within itself, the health disparities are high here. Diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, prostate cancer," Dr. Darice Richard-Mitchell said.
Census data shows diabetes affects about 1 in 7 adults in Thomas County, which is higher than the national average. Access to primary care remains tight, with the average local doctor seeing more than 1,000 patients a year. Additionally, about 1 in 8 residents under age 65 do not have health insurance.
When people ignore their health because of cost, transportation, or time, underlying conditions can worsen before they ever see a doctor. Virgil Thomas is an Outreach and Enrollment Specialist at Primary Care Southwest Georgia.
"When people don't have their own doctor, they don't annually or semi-annually or whatever it might be, take time to check on their health, chronic conditions will increase," Virgil Thomas said.
Primary Care Southwest Georgia serves as a critical resource for underserved communities. The organization helps patients with sliding-scale fees based on income and delivers medications up to 50 miles away.
"Anytime we have an event like a health fair or an expo like this, it gives us an opportunity to show the community what's out there for them. A lot of them don't know the resources that we have in this community," Thomas said.
At the expo, attendees can receive kidney screenings, BMI measurements, free vaccines, dental kits, nutrition workshops, and exercise education. Jeremy Rich is the pastor at First Missionary Baptist Church.
"You'll be able to hear information presented by doctors and public health experts. In addition to that, we'll also have on-site testing. So if you missed your doctor's appointment and you need to get your A1C checked or your blood pressure checked, or if we need to do some lipids, you can come on site, and Archbold Medical Center will be providing those services," Jeremy Rich said.
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