BELHAVEN — The third Belhaven Community Health Fair will be hosted this weekend, giving attendees access to a variety of health and wellness services and information.

Sponsored by the Triangle Chapter of the Belhaven Alumni Club and Vidant Family Medicine in Belhaven, the event will bring a list of organizations together at the Boys and Girls Club in Belhaven, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to provide residents with a number of screenings and information, said Vernalette Rosa, president of the Chapter. The event offers the opportunity for those residents who refuse to or cannot afford to see a doctor to receive screenings for a variety of healthcare issues, Rosa said.

“Eastern North Carolina is one of the most impoverished areas in the state,” Rosa said. “We saw a need for those that don’t have insurance. What we’re trying to do is just bring the services to them because a lot of them won’t go to the doctor. We just saw a need for the community to have those services.”

At the event, a number of organizations will be there to offer services: the Beaufort County Health Department will be giving flu shots, presentations on heart health, cardio disease, diabetes, tobacco use and stress management; the Hyde County Health Department will be giving information on medication assistance, family planning, STDs and home health; the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office will be giving information on Alzheimer’s; the Beaufort-Hyde Partnership for Children will have an obstacle course for youth attendees as well as information on child brain development and early literacy skill-building; the Belhaven Senior Center and the MidEast Commission will provide information on family caregiver programs, reverse mortgage counseling, medicare counseling and long-term care; Health and Human Services will be giving information on breast and cervical cancer programs, as well as showing women how to do self-exams for breast cancer; ECU Brody School of Medicine will be providing information on mental health counseling and bringing Spanish interpreters for the Spanish community; American Legion, post 249 will be handing out literature to veterans; and Vidant Medical Group will be giving blood pressue, blood sugar and BMI screenings, Rosa said. Those wishing to get a flu shot should bring their insurance information. For those uninsured

Bobbie Lapiejko, a physician liason with Vidant Medical Group Physician Services said Vidant will also have a representative from the Marion L. Shephard Cancer Center in attendance to give out informational packets. Derrick Boyce, an exercise specialist from the Wellness Center in Washington will be showing attendees exercise techniques that can be done without the use of equipment and Vidant will be providing fruit and vegetable trays and educational materials, Lapiejko said.

Rosa said last time the health fair was held, the Cancer Center was giving breast screenings and found lumps in three different women, which turned out to be the first stages of breast cancer. That was part of the reason why the members of the  Club — Steve Barber, Audrey Windley, Yoland Palmer, Craig Ward, Kisha Moore, Danielle Fields, Kimberly Fields, Caroline Slade and Rosa — decided it was important to keep hosting the event, which has grown since its inaugural year, Rosa said.

“That helped us to know that this was something that was positive,” Rosa said. “We know that early detection and preventative health screenings are important.”