ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester Mayor Malik Evans announced the city's Community Total Health and Wellness Initiative on Tuesday.

The goal of the program is to fill the needs of the city's underserved neighborhoods and bring services to those who need it most.

Millions of dollars of the city's budget will be allocated to evaluating the needs of the residents, which range from increasing access to healthy food to expanding health education and extending hours at R-Centers.

Officials are asking people to fill out a wellness survey available on the city's website and are also hosting health and wellness fairs with health screenings, mental health and housing support.

“Especially in these days after the pandemic, Rochester residents are finding themselves in need of important health and wellness services, and may not know how or where to find them,” Evans said in a statement. “The teams at City Hall and in City Council are committed to working together with our partners at Monroe County to identify, fund, and connect key services to city residents.”

“We can’t bridge the gaps if we don’t understand what Rochester residents are looking for,” City Councilmember Willie Lightfoot said in a statement. “We are already planning to bring services into our neighborhood R-Centers and to two Health and Wellness Fairs this year. We look forward to expanding our efforts to connect residents to resources as we continue to get a good picture of neighborhood needs.”

The first health fair is Saturday, July 23 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lighthouse Square.

The second is the same hours on Saturday, Aug. 20 at the International Plaza.

More information can be found on the city's website.