Connecting residents with resources was the goal of the day on Friday, June 24 during the 7th Annual Nye County Social Services Fair.
Taking place inside the NyE Communities Coalition Activities Center, the Social Services Fair brought together over three dozen local businesses and organizations for a day of public outreach, offering the opportunity for those in the local area to learn all about the many services and resources available to them.
“The event was a big success!” an obviously pleased Karyn Smith told the Pahrump Valley Times after everything was said and done.
Smith is the director of Nye County Health and Human Services and as such, it is a main mission for her to ensure the community is aware of the every avenue of assistance that they can access locally. She said this year’s was such a success that there were even more people who came by than in any previous year.
“We had the most attendees on record,” Smith detailed, reporting a total of 277 guests making their way through the fair throughout the five-hour event. “And we received lots of great feedback and appreciation for hosting the Social Services Fair.”
At this point in time, Smith said the most sought-after resources appear to be those related to Social Security and affordable housing. As such, she noted that the areas most lacking in resources are those for these two needs, remarking, “One large gap is not having a Social Security office located here. Other gaps we’ve seen are not enough affordable housing.”
Smith added that resources for behavioral health are also something that could use some improvement locally. Given the strain that the community has undergone in the last two years, more people are seeking mental health assistance, so the desire for behavioral health options has increased.
There were a total of 41 vendors participating in the 7th Annual Social Services Fair and their offerings ran the gamut.
A variety of county-affiliated offices were represented, including Health and Human Services itself, the Nye County Public Guardian and the Nye County School District. The Nye County Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, program was on hand, as was the NyE Communities Coalition, which is well-known as a hub of community resources.
State entities were well represented too, with officials coming from the Department of Child and Family Services, the Department of Public and Behavioral Health and its Community Health Nurse, the Department of Defense, Nevada Medicaid, Nevada State Welfare, Nevada 211, Nevada Health Link, Nevada Disability Advocacy Center, Nevada RESEP, Nevada Rural Housing and the Nevada Statewide Independent Living Council.
A host of other organizations took part, such as the Alzheimer’s Association and Nevada’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, better known as RSVP. Captel Captioned Telephone reps were there to discuss the services the company offers and there were several health-care related entities, including Centered Care Chiropractic, Mezak Lab and Testing, Serenity Mental Health and Silverado Memory Care.
Bikers Against Child Abuse had a booth on Saturday, as did Comfort Care Hospice, the Las Vegas Urban League, the Medicare Assistance Program and Medicare Hub, MTM Inc., Nathan Adelson Hospice, Pahrump Rural Clinics and the Rural Center for Independent Living. Rounding out the list of vendors were Ryan White Part A Program, Together with Veterans, United Methodist Church, Valley Electric Association and the local veteran-center bus service titled VETtrans.
Smith noted that those who may have missed out on the Social Services Fair’s valuable information can always contact her office for help finding the resources they need.
“Through our office, residents are able to receive needed services to obtain stabilization,” Smith said of the main function of Nye County Health and Human Services. “We also provide assistance to access services outside of our county and provide referrals.”
Contact Nye County Health and Human Services at 775-751-7095 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office is located at 1981 E. Calvada Blvd. Suite #120 in Pahrump.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com