From staff reports

PITTSBORO -- Are you interested in helping people find affordable health care options or in bringing more affordable health care to Chatham County? The Healthy Chatham Affordable Health Care Task Force, which is sponsored by the Chatham County Public Health Department, is looking for people to do just that.

The task force focuses on linking Chatham residents to affordable health care sources. Past projects include:

- Hosting a Health Care Access Fair on Sept. 26 at Walmart in Siler City. The fair had free health screenings open to the public from local agencies and organizations. The purpose of the fair was to link the uninsured or underinsured to needed health services and follow-up care. Individuals without health insurance were able to get appointments at local providers for care. Follow-ups will be done to ensure that the individuals received the care they needed.

- Working together with members of local community agencies and organizations to put together a resource guide of affordable Chatham County health care services. The guide lists providers, whether they accept Medicaid and Medicare, have discount programs for uninsured or underinsured patients, and what languages are spoken at the practice. Residents can use the guide to help make decisions about health care.

The task force is now looking at options to bring additional affordable health care to Chatham County. If you would like more information or to join the task force, contact Marissa Jelks at marissa.jelks@chathamnc.org or call (919) 545-8518.

Go to www.chathamnc.org/healthychatham to learn more about the Affordable Health Care Task Force.