Leading for Health Equity
Bridging the Gap A Community Comes Together for Health Equity
by Aneeta Bhatia, MD, MBA, FFARCS, FASE, Nandini Menon, MD, Gagandeep Kaur, MD & Ashima K. Gupta, MD
On Aug. 8, 2026, something remarkable unfolded on Accomack Drive. Between 9:00 a. m. and 1:00 p. m., the grounds of the Hindu Temple of Kentucky were transformed into a bustling hub of free medical screenings, counseling and connection. The KIAPI & HTKY Community Health Fair was in full swing. More than 250 community members had pre-registered, and many more arrived as walk-ins throughout the morning. It was, in every sense, a testament to what organized medicine can accomplish when it steps outside the walls of the hospital and into the heart of the community it serves.
This event was the product of a partnership between the Kentucky & Indiana Association of Physicians of Indian Origin( KIAPI) and the Hindu Temple of Kentucky( HTKY), and the Greater Louisville Medical Society was proud to be among its sponsors.
But what made this health fair truly special was not just who organized it, but who showed up to help. The University of Louisville’ s departments of endocrinology, vascular surgery, cardiology and pediatric psychiatry, Baptist Health’ s department of oncology, Norton Healthcare laboratory services, Norton’ s preventive and wellness CPR, Kentucky Eye Care and the Kumar Eye Institute, Kentuckiana Pain Specialists, Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, Mortenson Family Dental and Seven Counties Services for mental health. All these organizations committed equipment for screening, laboratory services and stem cell registry opportunity. In addition, an alternative medicine station on Ayurveda( an ancient holistic health system from India focused on balancing the body’ s life forces, known as doshas, along with plant-based products, diet, exercise and lifestyle changes for a balanced life) was present.
Scale of Physicians and Specialties
The scale of physician involvement is worth pausing on. The fair was staffed by nine primary care physicians, four cardiologists, three psychiatrists, three neurologists, two ophthalmologists, one vascular surgeon, one endocrinologist with NPs, one oncologist and one pain specialist.
14 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE