HAMILTON — Trying to figure out where and how to get healthcare services can be, challenging.
The second annual Bitterroot Valley Health and Wellness Fair provided resources all in one place to people who are seeking various healthcare services to try and alleviate some of the difficulties.
“A lot of times people struggle with asking for help. So when we come to events like this, it's really easy to talk to potential clients,” said Barbara McCorey, intake coordinator for We Care Behavioral Health.
Whether it’s mental health care, hospice care or outpatient services, the Bitterroot Health and Wellness Fair brought all kinds of providers together to offer information to those who attended.
“We're listening to what the patient's needs are and we're developing programs and just getting more information about healthcare and resources. Into the community,” said Partners in Home Care engagement and development coordinator Dyana Canavan.
While there are a multitude of resources at the fair, healthcare providers in more rural areas face some challenges when it comes to serving their patients.
“Staffing is a bit difficult just because in rural areas like this, you know, people tend to stick around for a couple years. They go to the next facility and then they come back a year later. So it's kind of one big revolving door out in these areas like Hamilton and Missoula,” explained Tyra Erickson, a recruiter for Goodman Group.
The resources at the event provided an opportunity to learn about services they otherwise may not have known about.
“There were a lot of services that I didn't even know existed, both for internal health and external health. So that was interesting,” said Janet Sally.
Many of the businesses in attendance at the fair serve the entire Bitterroot community and many serve patients and clients in Missoula as well.
This was the second annual fair in the Bitterroot but the fair also goes on in Missoula, running for eight years now.
