Building a stronger community together

The Bob Ruud Community Center was turned into a one-day, one-stop shop for vital resources this month as Nye County Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted its 11th Annual Social Services Fair, an event that saw a strong turnout from vendors and residents alike.

Taking place Wednesday, May 6, the Social Services Fair included 54 vendors in total, exhibiting the strong commitment of local businesses, area organizations and government entities connecting people with the essential services and beneficial programs that can better their lives.

The event opened its doors at 9 a.m. that morning and residents continued to filter in and out throughout the next six hours, visiting the many booths, collecting informational brochures and swag and hoping to snag one of the free raffle prizes that were up for grabs. With 165 attendees making their way to the event, Nye County HHS Director Karyn Smith was delighted with the result of the 11th annual endeavor.

“The event went smoothly and was a huge success,” Smith told the Pahrump Valley Times afterward. “The turnout was fantastic and we heard lots of positive comments from both vendors and the residents. Comments were made that they preferred the convenience of the location, that it was organized, there was a lot of communication, staff was helpful and they look forward to participating again next year. All visitors connected with every vendor and people were excited to see Social Security and Medicaid vendors there.”

Covering a vast array of needs

State agencies such as the Aging and Disability Services Division, Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Dept. of Veterans Services and Dept. of Social Services were in attendance to discuss their programs, while local entities included the Nye County District Attorney’s Office and Nye County Community Health Nurse. Of course, Nye County HHS had its own line of booths at the event, alongside a plethora of nonprofits and other organizations.

Offering services and support for those struggling with the disease of addiction were Al-Anon, Nevada Stronger and Overeaters Anonymous, while WestCare, Safe Harbor Medical, SilverSummit Health Plan, CareSource, Olive Crest, Humana and more were set to chat about what medical services and benefits their organizations have available. Several hospice representatives were at the fair, too, from Nathan Adelson Hospice, Christian Hospice Care and Comfort Home Health and Hospice, as well as local nonprofits such as the Pahrump Holiday Task Force, NyE Communities Coalition, Nevada Outreach Training Organization First Choice Pregnancy.

This was just a portion of what attendees were able to find at this year’s Social Services Fair, with many other entities taking part to make it another triumph of community resource connection.

“Big thanks to the town of Pahrump for the use of the Bob Ruud Community Center and all their assistance in helping us with set-up and clean-up, and to all the vendors that participated,” Smith stated. “And a big shout-out to our wonderful HHS team for all their hard work in making this fair another great success!”

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com