Muslim Community Center Hosting Health Fair Saturday

The Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring is hosting the East County Community Health Fair on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Attendees will be able to take advantage of a plethora of free services, including blood sugar testing, dental check-ups, eye exams, flu shots and family mediation sessions according to the event flyer,. The fair will also feature a blood drive, sport activities, and information on Medicare and Medicaid.

MCC Medical Clinic is hosting a Community Health Fair on Sat. 10/9 from 11:00am-2:30pm at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring, MD. Many FREE services will be offered at the health fair. Please see flyer for more information. pic.twitter.com/Q5QdYAfnhz

— Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI) (@AAHI_Info) October 4, 2021

The fair is co-sponsored by the American Diversity Group, the Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program and the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America.

According to MCC Medical Clinic Director Jamshed Uppal, the health fair is an annual event with which ADG has always been involved. He noted that he is looking forward to this year’s fair, especially after the event’s cancellation in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is a very exciting time for us,” American Diversity Group President Mayur Mody said in a phone call with MCM. “We survived COVID, and we are now trying to educate the community about the healthcare services we offer free of charge.”

The health fair is part of an ongoing effort to improve health outcomes for immigrant populations in Montgomery County. According to the Asian American Health Initiative, individuals in the Muslim community may face numerous cultural and linguistic barriers in accessing healthcare.

Certain ethnic groups within the county’s Muslim community are also less likely to have health insurance coverage, AAHI says. 10% or more of the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indonesian communities in Montgomery County are uninsured.

About Ceoli Jacoby

Ceoli Jacoby is an editorial intern at Montgomery Community Media. A junior at the University of Maryland, she is pursuing a double major in multiplatform journalism and government & politics. On campus, she is a staff writer for Stories Beneath the Shell. She can be reached at cjacoby@mymcmedia.org.

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