A free health fair is taking place Saturday, November 17th, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Church of the Brethren, located at 201 Fairview Avenue, in Frederick.

It's the 5th Annual Community Health Fair, sponsored by the Asian American Center of Frederick. "It's a wonderful event. Health disparities exist in our community and we must be empowered to collaborate with each other to address the unmet need of our community together," said AACF’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Chung, about the diverse groups that participate in the annual event. "Many health care professionals and volunteers keep coming back year-after-year to give back to the community."

The free health fair will offer flu shots, hepatitis B, glaucoma, blood sugar, cholesterol, BMI and other screenings.

Interpreters will be on hand to help speakers of Burmese, Cambodia, Chinese, French, Indian, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Thai. "We will also have a very special guest, Dr. Nadine Gracia, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health & Acting Director of the Office of Minority Health for HHS," continued Chung. "She will receive her flu shot from one of our doctors during the health fair, and recommends that everyone get their immunization each flu season because it's the first and most important step in protecting communities against this serious disease."

Flu season peaks in November each year and continues through April.

Other guests will include Frederick County Commissioner David Gray and Frederick City Alderwoman Shelly Aloi. U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin has also been invited to attend.