Community Comes Together for Health Fair at Winners Church in Triangle

On Friday, August 30, 2024, the parking lot of Winners Church at 17877 Old Triangle Road transformed into a bustling center of health and wellness. Community members gathered for a comprehensive health fair aimed at providing crucial medical screenings and education to the uninsured and underinsured.

The event, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., was a partnership between Winners Church and Sentara Healthcare, marking a new collaborative effort to enhance community health services. This year’s fair featured a vital addition—a mobile mammogram van from Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center offering free cancer screenings.

Kolawole Fagbenro, an associate pastor at Winners Church, explained the motivation behind the event: “We focus a lot on the community. Today, we’re doing blood pressure and cholesterol checks. We’ve partnered with Sentara; they have a mammogram van here for people without insurance, which is vital as mammograms are expensive.”

This was the first time Sentara participated, bringing not only the mammogram services but also connecting attendees with further medical support. “This is the first time we have mammograms involved, which is crucial as they are expensive, especially if you don’t have insurance,” Fagbenro added.

Winners Church, known for its diversity and holistic approach to spirituality and health, sees this fair as an extension of its mission. Fagbenro emphasized the church’s role: “We take a holistic approach to the gospel, considering both the physical and spiritual health of our congregation. This health fair is one way we can use our community of nurses and doctors to give back.”

Heather Byrne, a representative from Sentara, highlighted the importance of such events for cancer prevention and early detection. “Sentara is helping to sponsor this health fair to get wellness checks, cancer prevention, screenings, and education out to those who are uninsured or underinsured in our community,” Byrne said. She also noted the advancements in cancer treatment, underscoring the importance of early detection through screenings.

The fair addressed not just the lack of insurance but also a gap in health literacy. Byrne shared insights into the local challenges: “Many don’t know about the screenings available or can’t access them. This includes crucial tests like mammograms and colonoscopies.”

Dumfries resident Mary Stephens, who attended for a mammogram, expressed her gratitude: “It’s not something I can do perfectly on my own, so these services are crucial for my safety.”

The health fair provided essential services and strengthened the community’s bonds, offering a space where residents could come together to support one another’s health and well-being.