HEALTH FAIR 2004 AT BAPS CENTER, CLEVELAND

450 Participants Served
by 60 Physicians from 23 Specialties

A medical professional measuring the blood pressure
of a participant at Health Fair 2004

05.24.2004
CLEVELAND, OH

Overview

• 450 participants were served in the fair
• 60 physicians offered their services and expertise
• 23 different specialty-fields were available
• 35 various medical tests and services were provided
  

BAPS Medical Services and Association of Indian Physicians of Northern Ohio (AIPNO) organized their fifth consecutive annual Health Fair to serve the community at the BAPS Center in Brunswick (Cleveland), Ohio, on Sunday April 25, 2004 from 9 am to 4 pm.

Despite severe winds with occasional showers, over 450 people attended the Health Fair in a steady stream through the day. Approximately 60 physicians from 23 different specialties not only enthusiastically offered their services at the Fair, they also helped sponsor the event. Many allied medical professionals and volunteers worked on till much after closing hours to bring a smooth and swift closure to the medical tests performed during the day.

The Health Fair had two distinguished guests. One was Mr. Ramesh Kapur, President of Medical-Technical Gases, a business in Boston, Massachusetts, and a Director of American India Foundation. He is Democratic Party Vice-Chair for the Senator Kerry Campaign for President. The other guest was Mr. Vinny Gupta, President of Ohio Cast Products in Canton, Ohio, and in the past, a fund-raiser for the Republican George Bush Sr. presidential campaign. Both were introduced by Dr. Sanjay Parikh, a past-President of AIPNO. The dignitaries were felicitated and presented with souvenirs by Dr. Natwarlal Jethva, Chairman of the Health Fair organizing committee; Dr. Vinod Patel, Vice-President of BAPS Medical Services; Dr. Shailesh Nanavati, President of AIPNO and Co-Chairman of the Health Fair organizing committee; and Chandrakant Patel, BAPS (Cleveland) Center Coordinator. Dr. Samir Kothari, Medical Coordinator for BAPS Medical Services (Cleveland) and Past-Chairman of the Health Fair organizing committee, conducted the ceremonies.

Mr. Ramesh Kapur inaugurated the Health Fair and in a speech remarked that he was impressed as to how BAPS and AIPNO had come together to combine medical charity in a spiritual environment. He provided words of encouragement to continue such activities that would be helpful for the next generation. Dr. Vinod Patel, also the President of BAPS Midwest, in cordially welcoming the distinguished guests and thanking them for the visit, clarified that this non-profit organization remains neutral on political issues.

The Health Fair was supported by several area-hospitals, companies, philanthropic individuals and pharmaceutical corporations who also provided token keepsakes to the attendees.

Medical Tests & Services
Medical tests and services were offered in 35 different categories, including:

Medical Exams
Medical exams were provided in the following fields:

Medical Opinions
Experts gave valuable medical opinions in the fields of:

BAPS volunteers meticulously performed the computerized registration process of all attendees on arrival. This allowed Health Fair 2004 to offer continuity in care to those who had attended previous BAPS Health Fairs.

Health Fair 2004 was made possible by the coordinated efforts of BAPS volunteers, in particular Yogesh Patel, Administrative Coordinator of Health Fair 2004; Alpesh Patel, Administrative Coordinator of BAPS (Cleveland); and Narhari Patel, BAPS Midwest Secretary.

BAPS Medical Services
BAPS Medical Services is the medical wing of BAPS Charities. It organizes health fairs and operates health clinics in six USA cities: Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Dallas (TX), Los Angeles (CA), Orlando (FL) and Washington DC. BAPS Charities also undertakes healthcare activities such as operating hospitals, clinics and healthcare centers and organizing free medical camps in America, England, Africa and India. The BAPS Cleveland center where this year’s health fair was held was established in 1996. The Center holds regular weekly meetings wherein talks are often given by area physicians and medical professionals on important health-related issues to promote health awareness.

AIPNO
AIPNO, founded in 1983, is an organization of 275 physicians of Indian origin. It conducts educational programs for member physicians, residents and medical students. Since 1992, AIPNO has organized an annual fundraising event ‘Chiraag’ and has targeted the funds for local charities that would benefit greatly from the contributions. This year’s Chiraag was on Saturday
May 15.