Regional Health Systems, a Regional Care Group member, invited the Hammond community for its annual block party event. The party took place at its State Street campus on Thursday, August 8.
This is an annual event for the Regional Care Group. Bill Trowbridge, CEO, believes this block party event aligns perfectly with the message they want to spread during National Health Center Week.
“I think this is all about bringing people in the community together,” Trowbridge said. “We have a number of services that we provide within our network, but also from other providers who all help out the same group of individuals.”
The theme for this year’s event is about powering communities through caring connections. Trowbridge values this as an event to educate the people who want to learn more about these services.
“Bringing people together is empowering in itself,” Trowbridge said. “We want to make sure that they're all understanding the idea that it's not disparate or disjointed. It’s a much stronger recipe when you put everything together.”
Amy Lopez is the executive director of the Health Clinic and vice president of Primary Care within the Regional Care Group. She shares that this block party event has a lot of family fun activities for the attendees.
“We’re giving the community a chance to come out to get school supplies, haircuts, hair braiding, and many other fun activities,” Lopez said. “Kids can listen to some awesome music and get their face painted. We also have insurance companies out here as well to give some information for the parents. It’s just a better way to help support our community.”
Another awesome opportunity for attendees of all ages was the chance to meet Rusty the RailCat, who stopped by to join in for the block party festivities. Rusty took pictures with several kids and even gave out free backpacks to everyone that needed one.
This block party wasn’t something that was planned overnight. With this being an event that takes place just once a year, Lopez notes that there was a lot of planning to make sure this year’s event could be a success. This includes getting flyers out to the public a month in advance.
“They’ve had this going on for a while in the community,” Lopez said. “It’s important for us to know what the community wants so we can bring them out here to receive the services they need. It’s taken a lot of preparation. Many of these vendors here work regularly which is great to have their support to make sure this is a successful tradition.”
While it’s always an exhilarating time for residents in the community, it’s equally as special for the organizers and volunteers to partake in this event.
“These are my favorite things to do,” Lopez said. “I love to see people come out here to learn in a way that’s fun and will stick with them. This is a safe place for people to come, and it’s all about helping people out with whatever they need.”
Regional Care Group also provided free books and a wide variety of food options for everyone who came to the block party. The fun will continue throughout the duration of National Health Center Week until Saturday, August 10, where Regional Care Group will also be presenting youth taffy apples on Wednesday, August 14.
For more information on the Regional Health Systems, you can visit its website at rhs.care.
