PITT COUNTY, NC (WITN) – Seniors in Greenville are learning more about how to access local health care. On Friday, for the first time in more than two years, Greenville Aquatics held its Senior Health Fair.

Two ECU seniors organized the fair. They each graduate with a degree in public health.

They partnered with the City of Greenville to plan. Representatives from Vidant Health Center, AARP and Brookedale Senior Living were on hand to help seniors find the help they need.

“We wanted to do this event because we know seniors don’t know a lot of the resources around them in the community, so we wanted to bring those resources together in one place,” said ECU student Orlando Nieves. .

Seniors who came to the show were able to chat with health care professionals and have more fun.

“We have a bunch of different resources and wellness screenings, from Cryo252 to dental services to senior games,” said Mallory Pawl, Wellness Coordinator for the City of Greenville.

One of the main suppliers of the event focuses on the treatment of diabetes. Greenville senior Della Stilley has friends with diabetes. She said she was happy to see a seller pointing towards this.

“Well, that’s important because, I’m a senior, diabetes is one of the deadliest diseases you can have,” said Greenville resident Della Stilley. “If we can get information on how to control diabetes, I’m sure a lot of people would be interested in that.”

For many seniors, the past two years of the pandemic have brought a lot of fear.

“I’ve personally known people who are no longer with us because of COVID and the pandemic, Stilley said. “Once they got the virus, it was like no going back.

That’s why organizers say they hope the Friday fair reminds seniors that they’re not alone.

“We haven’t been able to do one for a few years because of Covid-19, and that’s one of the ways to try and get things back to normal,” Pawl said.

Although it is easier this year to organize the event, Pawl told me that two of the vendors who were scheduled to attend the event had to cancel due to staffing issues related to Covid-19.

Stilley also said she loves that the event is held at a fitness center because she thinks older people should exercise more and learn to take better care of themselves.

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