Connecting the community with the services and resources available locally was the goal of the day on Thursday, Jan. 16 when Nye County Health and Human Services hosted its 5th Annual Social Services Fair.
Taking place inside the NyE Communities Coalition from 9 am to 2 p.m., the Social Services Fair was bustling with activity throughout all five hours as area residents made their way through the packed Activities Center, stopping to interact with those manning booths for the many organizations, businesses or entities that the attendees were interested in.
Nye County Health and Human Services Director Karyn Smith said the event saw a nice turnout of more than 215 attendees and 51 total vendors.
“Nye County’s 5th Annual Social Service Fair was an overall success thanks to all vendors that participated and to NyE Communities Coalition for once again allowing us to host the event at their facility,” Smith told the Pahrump Valley Times following the event. “We had a really great turnout.”
On top of all of the information being disseminated on Jan. 16, attendees were given the chance to win some prizes as well. Smith said there were many fantastic baskets donated by the different vendors and these were raffled off to residents who turned out for the fair.
This year’s basket raffle was a bit different from past years, with Smith detailing, “Names were drawn by the vendors after the event and winners were contacted to pick up their baskets from our office. This allowed participants and vendors more time to focus on resources.”
Along with Nye County Health and Human Services, there were many state agencies represented at the Social Services Fair, including the State of Nevada Aging and Disability Services Division, Home Again, a Nevada Homeowner Relief Program sponsored by the Nevada Attorney General’s Office, the Nevada Rural Housing Authority and its Home At Last program, the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, the Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Care Financing and Policy and Nevada Medicaid, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health Rural Clinics and Community Health Services, Nevada State Health Division Bureau of Community Health and Nevada WIC.
Nye County Child Support Division was in attendance as well with its Child Support Enforcement program and the Nye County School District was out to provide plenty of information for parents with school-aged children.
The Nevada Statewide Independent Living Council, Immunize Nevada, Nevada Health Link, Behavioral Health Services of Nevada, Living Free Health and Fitness, the NyE Communities Coalition, Spring Mountain Treatment Center and 2020 Census representatives had booth at the fair, as did the Nevada Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program, Nevada Senior Services of the Care Partner Institute, Nevada Hospice Care, Nathan Adelson Hospice, Comfort Care Hospice and Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services.
Premier Adoption was another exhibitor, helping those who wish to become parents through adoption to learn about their options and First Choice Pregnancy Center had all sorts of information and resources available for those who are expecting a child. Capability Heath and Human Services, ICAN Family Services and Nevada Outreach Training Organization, best known for its No to Abuse program, participated in the fair, as did 2-1-1 Nevada, New Hope Fellowship, Money Management International, Liberty Dental, Valley Electric Association and the Nye County Valor Quilters.
Rounding out the huge list of vendors were the Las Vegas Urban League, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, the Pahrump Prostate Cancer Support Group, the Pahrump Committee for Veterans Issues, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, more commonly referred to simply as RSVP and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10054 and the New Holiday Task Force, with Linda Wright manning the booth for both of those organizations.
Dental cleanings were also planned for the Social Services Fair but due to issues with staffing and funding, these were not performed. However, Nevada Oral Health Program and Liberty Dental were on hand to discuss dental resources with attendees and at the same time, they provided 19 dental exams, 15 fluoride treatments, as well as providing all 19 exam patients with dental referrals and Medicaid benefits information, Smith detailed.
The Southern Nevada Health District participated too, conducting nine Syphilis test while the AIDS Foundation of Nevada performed HIV tests on 19 people.
For those who may not have been able to make it out on Jan. 16 and are interested in learning more about the resources available locally, Smith highlighted that the NyE Communities Coalition prints a Community Resource Guide filled with information. Additionally, residents can obtain resource information by calling 2-1-1 or by contacting the Nye County Health and Human Services Office at 775-751-7095.
For those in the Tonopah area, Smith noted that Nye County Health and Human Services will be hosting a Social Service Fair in that town in July.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com