Free Community Health Fair on May 7th by the Ethiopian Community Association of Charlotte (ECAC) for underprivileged residents of Charlotte and the surrounding areas who are without healthcare coverage. As it is common knowledge, the uninsured population in the U.S. faces numerous cultural, linguistic, and financial barriers to access health care services. The uninsured population is also a cause of uncompensated care for health systems due to emergency room visits with complicated health issues that could have been easily avoided through early prevention and treatment. In an effort to reduce disparities in access to health information, in spite of persistent socioeconomic and literacy barriers, ECAC developed and launched a sustainable and culturally competent annual Free Community Health Screening Program for the Greater-Charlotte community on July 27, 2019. Partnering organizations of the event include Atrium Health Event/Sports Medicine, World Cardiac Vision, Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, MedAssist, TesfaEthiopia, and Galilee Ministry. By providing health education and outreach interventions, our goal is to address the unmet need for no-cost services that target prevention and education amongst marginalized communities. The implementation of our community health fair brings needed health screenings and health education to low-income and medically underserved communities through informal community settings offering a broad spectrum of health services including: • engage the public in conversation regarding preventative care, common health issues and concerns • provide an opportunity for our community members to learn how to help their families stay healthy and safe • consult community members on eligibility for affordable health insurance coverage and services In holding this yearly event, our hope is to bring down the number of patients that frequently visit emergency departments with much more acute health problems costing health systems and the community tremendous amounts of resources. Therefore, creating a healthier community with individuals who will be great contributors to society. This event is open to all 18 years and older residing in Greater Charlotte and the surrounding area without health insurance. Our request for you is to help us get the word out within your network regarding this year’s event (May 7th 9am -3pm) so we can reach as many members of the community as possible. *Attached to this email is a flyer with event information and outline of services. *Registration for participants will open on April 1st and run through the end of the month (April 1- 30). Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any questions.