Overwhelming Response to the Wellness Fair Throughout the Territory

By 7:00 a.m. Wednesday at the St. Croix Educational Complex, the lines were already starting to form at the Wellness Fair. The nine-day event, which began over the weekend, has taken place across the territory. It offers a wide range of no-cost healthcare services, from dental and optometry care to comprehensive medical screenings and mental wellness checks.

When the gates opened at 8:30 a.m., a military healthcare professional from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training Program (IRT) said they would not be taking patients for dental or optometry services, just medical services. Patients interested in these services can return between Thursday and Saturday.

Some visibly frustrated community members left the line because they were specifically hoping for those services. One member who did not want to be named said, “I’ve been trying to get in since yesterday. I was told to return today, and yet again, I was not able to enter.”