Careforth Joins My Health Fair: A Return to My Roots
By Romina Wilmot
Founder, My Health Fair
There are moments in a professional life that feel less like an achievement and more like a return to where it all began.
Moments that remind us where we started, why we do this work, and how far we’ve come.
Careforth joining My Health Fair is one of those moments for me.
In 2010, I was a young mother taking my first steps in the world of community health.
Long before I imagined creating a statewide health fair, before becoming a founder, and before My Health Fair existed as a community health education platform.
My entry point was the Adult Foster Care (AFC) program, a service funded by MassHealth that, at the time, very few families knew about or understood.
And yet, that program completely changed the direction of my life.
Where It All Began
In 2010, I joined the largest Adult Foster Care program in the state.
My role seemed simple, but in practice it had a profound impact:
Helping families understand a program designed to support caregivers—often family members—who provide daily care to their loved ones at home.
My responsibilities were diverse:
- Building collaborative relationships with hospitals, insurers, and healthcare providers.
- Leading and coordinating a team of community ambassadors.
- Working with multicultural populations across the state.
- Developing partnerships with community organizations.
- And above all, educating families who had never heard about the AFC program.
It was community work in its most authentic form.
I spent my days in the field—at churches, senior centers, hospitals, health fairs, and community meetings.
My goal was to explain a program that could change a family’s life, yet remained an unknown benefit for many.
That experience deeply shaped the way I understand community health.
A Career Built on Relationships and Representation
One of the achievements I remember most from that time was the expansion of the program into new territories.
This was possible thanks to a multicultural outreach strategy centered on education, trust, and representation.
I learned very quickly that when you meet people in ways that are culturally, linguistically, and emotionally aligned, you build something far more powerful than information.
You build relationships.
I also discovered something important about myself.
I loved using local media to reach more people.
I enjoyed creating health fairs that brought services directly to families.
I valued building relationships with community partners.
And I deeply appreciated the balance between professional and family life that allowed me to raise my daughters while building a career with purpose.
But most of all, I remember the satisfaction of helping a family access a program that could ease their burden and improve their quality of life.
Those early years taught me the importance of networks, partnerships, and community trust.
They also planted the seed for what would eventually become My Health Fair.
Why Careforth’s Participation in My Health Fair Is So Meaningful
Today, years later, My Health Fair has become a statewide platform that connects organizations, healthcare providers, and community partners to offer accessible and culturally relevant health education.
Every organization that participates in our fairs brings tremendous value.
But Careforth’s presence holds special meaning for me.
Careforth is one of the leading organizations supporting caregivers through the Adult Foster Care program and other related services.
Their work directly impacts families facing some of the most challenging caregiving responsibilities.
In addition, at a time when significant changes are taking place within MassHealth that may affect programs like AFC and other community services, it is essential that families have access to clear and reliable information.
Careforth’s presence at My Health Fair means:
- Families can speak directly with experts in their own language.
- Caregivers can learn about support resources they may not have known existed.
- Communities can better understand how public policy changes may affect them.
- And we can bring visibility to a program that has supported thousands of families across Massachusetts.
- For me, it also means closing a circle that began more than 14 years ago.
Honoring Caregivers
Adult Foster Care is much more than a program.
It is a lifeline for many families.
It recognizes the work, love, and sacrifice of caregivers who are often women, immigrants, and members of diverse communities.
They are the backbone of home-based care, frequently balancing work, family, and caregiving responsibilities with very little recognition.
A Moment of Reflection as a Founder
As the founder of My Health Fair, I often reflect on the experiences that shaped me.
The long days in the field.
The conversations with families.
The community health fairs where I explained the AFC program to anyone willing to listen.
I also remember the partnerships with community media outlets that helped us deliver information to people in their own language and in places where they could truly access it.
Those experiences didn’t just prepare me for this work.
They inspired me to create it.
That’s why when I say having Careforth at My Health Fair is meaningful, I say it because it connects my past with the present and reaffirms the reason I built this platform:
To make health education accessible, culturally relevant, and grounded in community trust.
Looking Toward the Future
As My Health Fair continues to grow as a health education platform available 24/7, I am proud to welcome Careforth as a partner.
I am proud to know that families can access the information they need at any time—especially in moments of change.
And it fills me with pride to see how the work that began in 2010 continues to evolve to serve our community in new ways.
This is more than an announcement.
It is a celebration of growth, purpose, and community.
And it reaffirms something I have always believed:
When work is rooted in purpose, it always finds a way to return, grow, and continue serving the community.
