Town of Ramapo Hosts “New Year, New You!” Health Fair

On Wednesday, January 31, the Town of Ramapo teamed up with Good Samaritan Hospital and Bon Secours Medical Groups to host the “New Year, New You!” health fair. The event provided Town of Ramapo employees with a day ofm healthcare in the workplace and over 230 of town employees participated. A second health fair will also be held on Tuesday, February 13 2024.

Initiated by Town Chief of Staff Mona Montel, the January portion of the inaugural “New Year, New You!” event included nutrition and weight counseling, skin education, early detection for cancer, physical therapy screenings, vaccine education, information on navigating new appointments and more. A private area with behavioral health counseling services was also available for town employees.

Lunch for this session was provided by the Police Benevolent Association, and will be paid for in February by the Civil Service Employees Association.

When asked why the Town of Ramapo implemented the health fair this year, Supervisor Michael Specht emphasized the importance of making sure employees have access to proper care.

“We thought, ‘What can we do at the beginning of the year that would benefit our employees and promote health?’” Supervisor Specht explained. “We have a great relationship with Good Samaritan Hospital. Instead of making people have to go out to get medical services, we (wanted to) bring the medical services here—make it like a fair and have it more fun and easier for employees. So we thought, ‘Let’s try it.’”

Bon Secours’ System Director of Community Engagement Kirby Zummo added that when employees take time to take care of themselves, better health outcomes are the result.

“People are busy. They don’t take time for themselves,” said Zummo. “When you do screenings or preventative care, you stay healthy. That’s a fact. So if we can bring this to an employee while they’re working, they’re more apt to do it. Sometimes you get busy and just don’t have time to go to the doctor. So if we can meet the patients where they are, it’s better for everybody.”