Saturday, August 07, 2010

AshaKiran holds Free Health Fair for South Asian Community in North Alabama

July 11, 2010. Huntsville, AL
By Dr. Ravi Lal

From a small community in Huntsville, Alabama, more than 100 individuals of South Asian origin received medical services at the fourth AshaKiran free health screening held at the picnic organized by the Gujarati Samaj at the Ditto Landing on July 11, 2010.

The free health screening was organized by AshaKiran in collaboration with Alabama Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (aAPI) and with the help of Huntsville Hospital, Dr. Mahipal Ravipati and staff, Dr. Parekha Yedla, Dr. Purvi Shah, Ms. Gulshan Hoyt, Ms. Rashmi Jadeja Chauhan, Ms.  Prasanna Ravipati, Ms. Dipti Vasavada, Dr. Andrea Viegas and many other volunteers. Participants were tested for Blood pressure, Blood sugar, Total Cholesterol, Bone Density testing, Allergens testing, and Depression screening.

AshaKiran (A Ray of Hope) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization to empower the South Asian Community in North Alabama by providing assistance to persons who are in need of a support system. AshaKiran was established in 2006 with a vision of Ray of Hope towards building a healthy and harmonious community. AshaKiran maintains a confidential and dedicated telephone line served by trained volunteers who provide support and referral services for persons dealing with any “crisis” such as domestic violence, social isolation, abandonment, and family dynamics. It also provides liaison with the Crisis Services of North Alabama (CSNA) to provide shelter and other services, and educate and increase awareness about available local resources in the community. AshaKiran fills a need in the community that the mainstream agencies may not be able to address adequately.

AshaKiran’s free health screening fair has especially been of great help to many South Asians in the North Alabama region, when the United States is going through a serious economic and health crisis. AshaKiran is planning or looking for opportunities to collaborate with other foreign origin and/or main stream associations to provide free health screening in the future.

On a regular basis AshaKiran also provides health and medical referrals to the needed South Asian community through many AshaKiran volunteer providers.  On a yearly basis AshaKiran holds seminars, forums and workshops on topics, such as, health education; challenges and/or needs of seniors or would-be seniors, adolescents and young adults; retirement issues; college admissions, scholarships, and medical school admissions; self development, safety tips and self defense;  domestic violence and sexual assault, etc.

The next health screening fair will be held in summer of 2011. AshaKiran can be reached at www.ashakiran.com or by e-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).