Served more than 500 needy patients.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: BAPS Charities hosted its 12th Annual Health Fair in Beltsville, Maryland, during which scores of professionals from the medical field volunteered their time and knowledge to help serve patients in need of healthcare.
The turnout on both ends of the fair was extraordinary, with 84 paramedics and 45 additional medical professionals servicing more than 500 patients in the Beltsville area, which is located in southern Maryland just outside of Washington, DC. Doctors who gave their time to the health fair were specialists in fields such as cardiology, ophthalmology, pediatrics, dentistry, and psychiatry, to name a few.
The Health Fair was one of 37 that BAPS has hosted, and plans to host more, over the course of this year, as part of a series of health fairs that aim to raise awareness of obesity. According to a BAPS press release, one-third of Americans are obese, and the affliction can lead to other conditions such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and others.
Maryland Delegate Guy Guzzone, who represents Howard County, was present at the health fair, and lauded the initiative that BAPS and the attending healthcare professional showed in providing free treatment to hundreds of individuals.
“I’m inspired by the spirit of unity of the Health Fair,” he noted. “When one of us is healthy, it helps all of us; when one of us is sick, it is a hurt to all of us. The recognition of that to the greater good to society is what is so important about what BAPS Charities does.”
The BAPS Charities center was also presented with a Governor’s Citation during the Fair, as a “recognition of [BAPS’] efforts to help communities” around the country.
BAPS Charities is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit international charity organization committed to sincerely serving the world by caring for individuals, families, and communities. It is affiliated with BAPS as an independent charity and social services arm. The 55,000 BAPS volunteers networked in over 3,300 centers around the world provide over 12 million volunteer-hours of service annually.