The Sept. 24 fair, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 625 Lincoln Ave., will provide resources and workshops for seniors. San Jose Medical Group director of training services Fariba Shahbazi said the medical group designed the fair to focus on common senior patient concerns, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Along with free cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose screenings, the fair will feature workshops on how to prevent and treat high blood pressure and osteoporosis. Clinical pharmacist Caroline Ladines-Sarafin will also hold a workshop that will help seniors correctly take their medication. All attendees will receive a medicine log and pillbox.

The highlight of the fair will be a workshop devoted to the changes in prescription benefits through Medicare that will become effective in October.

"People are so confused," Shahbazi says. "Here they can ask questions and have all the information they need."

The Senior Health Fair is the first of its kind in the Willow Glen area. CEO Ernie Wallerstein said the fair is the medical group's "contribution to the community."

"We want people to know we appreciate the role of providing health care in San Jose," Wallerstein said.

The medical group began in 1955 with seven Mayo Clinic-trained doctors, who envisioned creating a community-based health practice with well-trained doctors. The medical group was one of the first group practices in California, Wallerstein said.

Since its founding, the San Jose Medical Group has grown to provide care for both adults and children with 21 medical specialties. The Willow Glen clinic offers urgent care seven days a week, Wallerstein said.

Today, the medical group has locations at 2585 Samaritan Drive, 227 N. Jackson Ave. and 625 Lincoln Ave. The medical group's administrative offices are located in San Jose's Rose Garden neighborhood on Race Street. The Willow Glen branch was built in 1996 and serves 92,000 patients annually.

The medical group previously had eight branches but filed for bankruptcy three years ago. Since then the group has turned its financial status around and has shown a profit for 34 consecutive months, Wallerstein said.

Looking forward, Wallerstein envisions the Willow Glen clinic catering to the neighborhood's continuing community growth. He mentions the proposed Sobrato Development, which would provide 1,000 housing units near the Willow Glen branch.

"Health care still is a locally delivered thing," Wallerstein said. "It's a wonderful career to be in; you make a contribution to people's lives."

The Senior Health Day Fair takes place on Sept. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the San Jose Medical Group, 625 Lincoln Ave. Admission and parking is free. For more information, visit www.sanjosemed.com or call 408.278.3180.