Health care is certainly a big topic this year.  But while the country debates how to pay for health care, it's easy to forget the available services for care.

To counter this, the Church of the Good Shepherd held their second annual Health Information Fair on Wednesday, April 14, inviting 20 area organizations to present information on the various options for health care in the area.

With participants ranging from businesses offering assisted-living services and hearing aids to representatives of county, state, and local service organizations and independent nonprofit organizations, the fair presented a variety of health care options.

"It wasn't just geared to the elderly," said Church of the Good Shepherd parishoner Tracey Gardner Clarke who helped organize the event.  "We wanted to give Wareham the opportunity to know what kind of health care is available."

The fair was sponsored by Personal Touch Home Care and was organized by the Fundraising Committee at Church of the Good Shepherd.

Other presenters included: Greater New Bedford Community Health Center with information on smoking cessation; ENOS Home Oxygen and Medical Supply; the Bristol County Sheriff's Department with information on the RUOK program, a program that provides a free, daily phone check-up; and several local nursing and care facilities.

"We want to get the health-care community into Wareham," said Jeanne Condon Pena, an administrator at Personal Touch Home Care and a parishoner at Church of the Good Shepherd.  She said that Wareham is somewhat "out of the loop" of many of the area's social services, which are concentrated in Fall River and New Bedford.

Condon Pena said that goal is to help get the information out to Wareham residents so that they can get the help they need before they become sick.

"The wrong time to think about [getting help] is when it's too late."