EATONTOWN - Senator Vin Gopal will join Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey to host a Community Health Fair to provide residents with information and resources on housing assistance, food bank access, addiction resources, disability resources, blood pressure screenings, and more.
The health fair is free to the public, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 10 in the Eatontown Community Center, located at 72 Broad Street in Eatontown. Anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP by calling the 11th Legislative District office at (732) 695-3371.
“Part of our job as legislators is to be advocates for our constituents, and that starts with making sure that all of our residents can access the healthcare services that they need,” said Gopal (D-Long Branch). “We’re grateful to our community partners for their help in making this fair possible, and we invite any household facing high housing or food costs or the challenges posed by a disability or addiction to be connected with the programs that can help you succeed.”
Attending vendors will include the New Jersey Department of Health, the Arc of Monmouth, Interfaith Neighbors, the Family Resource Network, the VNA Health Group, Family Addiction Network, the Alzheimer's Association, the Affordable Housing Alliance, Fulfill Food Bank, Tinton Falls EMS, and more.
Additionally, the Tinton Falls EMS will be offering free Blood Pressure Screenings to help residents monitor their health and learn about potential treatments. Additional legislative staff will be on-site to answer any questions about state programs or services and to help attendees navigate state agencies, connect with community resources, and more.
“Too many folks aren’t aware of the programs or services available to make their lives easier and help their families thrive,” said Houghtaling (D-Neptune). “We’ve worked hard to build a constituent services team that knows the ins and outs of State and community programs alike. We want to make sure that every person who comes to our health fair can walk out with at least one new benefit that they didn’t know about before.”
Gopal, Houghtaling, and Downey have sponsored numerous laws improving access to healthcare, nutritious food, and other services, and are currently working to simplify the Medicaid process while making Monmouth County more affordable for its residents.
“Even so, our job description goes beyond just passing laws,” said Downey (D-Freehold), who oversees programs such as SNAP and TANF as Chair of the Assembly Human Services Committee. “As your representatives in Trenton, it’s our job to know about every possible way to reduce your expenses and get your family the assistance you deserve, and to build a bridge that helps you access those benefits with as little trouble as possible. That’s why we founded this health fair, and why we’ll keep working hard to connect you with services and assistance wherever possible.”
