BUXTON, N.C. — More than half a dozen Dare County organizations made the trip to Buxton on Thursday for the Community Health Fair. These kinds of events are even more important on Hatteras Island for residents who don't have access to many of these services, especially health care.
"A lot of times we have to go up the beach, which is an hour, hour and 15 minute drive, depending on the time of year," said Diane Hassell, who has lived on Hatteras Island for 18 years.
It's a drive that Hassell and fellow Hatteras Island residents are all too familiar with. She and her neighbors face the travel time up the beach when it comes to doctor visits and other health care needs.
"We have one clinic, basically, in Avon. I know for a lot of the people that live here, they are on Medicaid," said Hassell.
Outer Banks Health, Community Care Clinic of Dare, ECU Health, Child and Youth Partnership for Dare County, Beach Food Pantry, Dare County Sheriff's Office and Dare County Library were all inside the Fessenden Center on Thursday for the Community Health Fair. It's not a new event, but some of these services are not as easily accessible for residents on Hatteras Island.
"They have huge barriers to health care," said Cindy Bonney, clinical coordinator with the Community Care Clinic of Dare.
A number of health checks, flu vaccines and other tests were all available to residents at the event.
"We come in and collaborate with the community. We're currently doing blood pressures, we do blood sugars, cholesterols. We give the patient those results so that they can have them for themselves or take to their primary care when they go in to see them on their next visit," said Bonney.
For every organization on site, it's important for them to be present and also get the word out about the resources they are able to offer every day of the year. The Community Care Clinic of Dare comes down twice a month for primary care at the health department in Frisco.
"I think our biggest obstacle here is getting the patients just to know about us, learn about us, trust us, and apply to become a patient, so that we can treat them. We do (care) from the beginning and see them all the way through to whatever it is that they need," said Bonney.
For Hassell, that's exactly what she took away from being at the event.
"The fact that they're here and there's dental care, and there's vision, and there's other things that I wasn't even aware of, and I've lived here 18 years," said Hassell.
Hassell hopes that residents on the island see the resources that all of these organizations have to offer and that access to health care can only get better in the future.
"It's needed because a lot of people are sick. A lot of people need the health care, blood pressure, heart back issues, whatever the case might be," said Hassell.
