FREDERICK, Md. (DC News Now) -- This week, there have been concerns in Frederick that the popular annual community health fair may be no more. Every fall, thousands depend on the Frederick Community Health Fair for free screenings, exams, consultations, vaccinations and referrals. An announce ment on the fair's webpage on Wednesday stated that it would not be held this year "due to ongoing political and financial challenges." Elizabeth Chung is executive director of the Asian American Center of Frederick, the lead volunteer organization behind staging the annual fair at Frederick Community College. "It's not easy to predict what October will be because of the funding shortage," said Chung, "because of the fallout from the funding." Kermit the Frog to give University of Maryland commencement speech Sierra Dischel works with the center and helps Chung organize the event. "A thousand people show up [to the annual fair] and get the services that they need. They collaborate, volunteer and feel like they are giving back," said Dischel. "So it's a really important event that we host every year." Much of the health fair funding came from the U.S. Public Health Service, whose budget is under review. "In navigating this uncertainty, we have to reflect on what we can do," said Chung. The Asian American Center of Frederick is taking the lead in the effort to restore funding cuts. ...read more read less