ABERDEEN–Complete with vendors, free medical screenings and healthy food samples, the Economic Business Council served as the host to the township’s first “Health Fair.”
Economic Business Council Chairman Carmine Visone said that the health care industry has become a primary focus with regard to medical plans, costs and determining, which plan is suitable for an individual/family versus expense.
“People of all ages want to remain healthy, and live longer. Events such as this health fair bring health and wellness to the forefront of the community, affording people the opportunity for free screenings and preventive information regarding their wellness,” Visone said. “This event also worked two-fold allowing local health and wellness vendors to publicize their trade to hundreds of community members.”
Around 500 locals attended the township’s first health fair on April 6 at the Matawan Regional High School, which is located at 450 Atlantic Ave. in Aberdeen.
Sponsors for the township’s first health fair were Aberdeen Town Square, Alert Ambulance Service Inc., Ani Medical Group, Grace Abounds Counseling LLC, Hackensack Meridian Health, Matawan-Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and Jonathan Min DDS: Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.
“We are so pleased to present this event at the Matawan Regional High School and I am so proud to have had the opportunity to work with 13 extraordinary students who are a part of the Business Academy at the high school,” Visone said. “These students, under my direction and the guidance of their teacher, Mr. Dan Bernstein, have accomplished a tremendous amount of planning and execution for this event up to and including the day of the event.”
Visone said that it has been an absolute pleasure working with the high school students who helped put the event together.
“This event was not coordinated by just one person, but a team. The entire Economic Business Council, along with a health fair committee consisting of Hackensack Meridian, Monmouth County Health Department, Aberdeen Township Council have been instrumental in making this event possible, and I am so thankful for their support,” Visone said.
More than 40 vendors were present at the fair that offered health information and healthy food samples to attendees.
Among the vendors at the event were Monmouth County Health Department, AFC Urgent Care, Bayshore Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine, Beachway New Jersey: Outpatient Drug Rehabilitation for Addiction Treatment; Inner Health and Weight Loss; Pivotal Pilates; NJ Sports Chiropractic; ProFysio Physical Therapy; The Detox Box; Chiropractic Naturally P.C.; Elite Martial Arts; Monmouth County Special Needs Registry: Aberdeen Police Department; and In Motion Physical Therapy.
Additional vendors were Inner Clarity LLC; KidZdent; Monmouth County Grows, Grow Monmouth and Healthy Food Ideas; Jonathan Min DDS: Family and Cosmetic Dentistry; Rejuvenate Center for Medical Aesthetics Health and Wellness; Tilton Fitness; Veritas Recovery Center; Anchor Care and Rehabilitation Center; Ani Medical Group, CPC Behavioral HealthCare; Lares Home Care, Hackensack Meridian Health; Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD); Hazlet United Taekwondo Center; Hoch Orthodontics; Gramercy Pain Center; Dinemsions Reiki LLC; Matawan Adult Daycare; and NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Hackensack Meridian conducted free health screenings that included blood pressure, glucose, BMI and stroke-risk.
Hackensack Meridian Health Program Coordinator Dawn Smith said that she as been working the company for five years.
“This is what we do for our community outreach and engagement, we part of Hackensack Meridian Health [and] we are like the hands and feet of the community. We try to get in areas where there are health fairs or different facilities that want us in there to bring in education,” Smith said. “We give them free health screenings and then educate them on what the results of them are, give them an idea of what their health looks like for that day and then educate them on whether their BMI is up or whether their blood pressure is up or how they can do better by how they eat, how they live [and] how they function.”
Smith said that Hackensack Meridian Health also offers free lectures and health screenings all throughout the year in different areas in New Jersey.
“Part of what we do for community outreach and engagement is to educate the community and show them what we have to offer through our health system,” Smith said.
Food vendors who were also giving out free healthy food samples were DeMarco’s Catering and Gourmet Deli, Smoothie King, Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District/Chartwell Food Service, Frutta Bowls and Livoti’s.
Chartwell Food Service Assistant Director Michele Murphy said that Chartwell provides the food for the Matawan-Aberdeen school district.
Murphy and Chartwell Food Service Director Caroline Grant handed out healthy United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved snacks that the Chartwell provides for the students.
“Health is important and I think people do not believe that school food is healthy. I don’t think kids realize that it is healthy and that there are so many healthy options for them,” Grant said. “We have Snapple juice…, 100% juice snacks, 100% carbonated drinks, we have some items that we serve for breakfast [like] a ham and cheese croissant. We have fresh fruit that we served everyday on the menu and just some literacy for the students.”
The health fair also had a touch-a-truck event where locals got to go into a classic TV and movie exhibits vehicle, an Aberdeen Fire District No. 1 fire truck and smokehouse. The Cliffwood Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 Station 63-2 provided a fire truck and the Aberdeen Police Department had three police cars on display.
Hackensack Meridian Health provided its wellness van, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Department also has a table and truck. Alert Ambluance Service Inc., the Matawan Aberdeen CERT Team and the Aberdeen Department of Public Works also had vehicles on display.
“I own Home Away From Home Academy and HoneyBaked Ham, and as a long-time local business owner, I recognize the need for this council to bring together businesses and township government for the success of a town,” Visone said. “I have worked on economic development in this community during my tenure, alongside Mayor Fred Tagliarini, to create a prospering township.”
For more information about the township’s Economic Business Council visit www.aberdeennj.org/content/1034/1052/default.aspx.
Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].