HDMG and Heritage Health Care host over 4000 seniors at 20th anniversary of Health Expo

Dr. Richard Merkin, High Desert Medical Group and Heritage Health Care hosted over four thousand seniors at their 20th anniversary annual Senior Expo at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. Seniors lined up prior to the 9:00 am start, eager to see celebrity Debbie Reynolds perform and get free health screenings and testing including  bone density, cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, body fat, dental and vision screenings and of course, seasonal flu shots. The theme for this 20th Anniversary Celebration was "On Broadway," and Debbie Reynolds, star of films, TV and Broadway, did not disappoint, singing and interacting with the crowd.

In addition to food, music and plenty of entertainment, healthcare representatives from most of the national healthcare providers and drug companies were on hand to provide answers for seniors with coverage concerns, especially timely since a number of initiatives from the healthcare legislation have already been implemented.

Vilma Drever was named 2010 Senior of the Year for her continued dedication to animal rescue in the communities of Lancaster and Palmdale.  Drever runs the Antelope Valley Dog and Cat rescue, and was thrilled with her honor.

Dr. Merkin spoke to the crowd, "Lancaster and Palmdale- there are no two better cities in the United States to do this.  Both have been so cooperative in our efforts to improve health care in the Valley and they are truly concerned about the health care of their citizens." He further discussed recent trips to Washington DC with seniors to interact with legislators, one on one, letting lawmakers know of the importance of programs that HDMG implements. "Managed, coordinated, accountable health care that is patient doctor centric keeps our seniors healthier, out of the hospital and is cost effective," said Dr. Merkin. "It is critically important to us that we reach out to our lawmakers, and our communities to let everyone know we are responsive to current health care demands with programs and solutions."

"We continue to offer our community our best in medical care to meet their needs," said Dr. Anthony Dulgeroff, Medical Director at HDMG. "This 20th anniversary of our Health Expo signals our commitment to celebrating excellence, giving back to our seniors additional opportunities to follow up on their general health on us and we are delighted to do it."