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Chattanooga: Fair takes good health to East Side streets

By: Emily Bregel
(Contact)

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Kasey Decosimo

A health fair on the streets of the East Side community today aims to reach community member whose needs often fall through the cracks, public health officials said.

The East Side Task Force is sponsoring the community health fair, which will be held on Sheridan Avenue between Rubio and Wilson streets, in an effort to bring health resources directly to those who need them, said Mildred Moreland, chairwoman of the health committee of the East Side Task Force.

The area struggles with many socioeconomic issues that often translate into health problems, Ms. Moreland said.

“It’s a lot of drugs, prostitution, a lot of truancy, single moms raising families, education issues, it’s lower income,” she said. “It’s a lack of a lot of the services that they really need.”

Kasey Decosimo, assessment and planning program manager with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department, said residents of the east side of Hamilton County face higher rates of HIV infection, socially transmitted diseases, low-birth weight and infant mortality.

“(With the health fair) we’re hoping to be able to reach folks we don’t normally reach,” she said.

The East Side refers to the ZIP codes 37404, bounded by Holtzclaw Avenue, Interstate 24 and Missionary Ridge; as well as ZIP code 37406, bounded by the Tennessee River and state Highway 153.

One-third of the county’s reported cases of HIV/AIDS stemmed from that region, although the area’s population makes up less than 10 percent of the population, according to a 2006 study on health disparities in the area.

The event will include giveaways of bicycles, HIV outreach and information on TennCare programs for children and more.

Representatives from Adventa Hospice also will be present to provide information on end-of-life care, Ms. Moreland said.

“A lot of these people have elderly family members and just don’t know how to access services that may be really of need to them, even if they have money or don’t have money,” she said.

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