By Margarita Correa-McAvoy
Communications and Public Relations Director
El Centro Hispano
There were a good amount of people already waiting in line when the ECH staff arrived at 7 in the morning at the Holton Career & Resource Center to prepare for the ECH Health Fair 2010.
They wanted to be there early to make sure they were able to receive the much needed health care services and information
about their and their family’s general health condition.
The day before, we received many calls at ECH offices from people asking… “Do we have to be at the Fair at 4 or 5 a.m?”
Crowds throng the registration table at this fall's ECH Health Fair.
Today, millions of people lack appropriate, if any, health insurance in the United States, The continuing rise in uninsured has been attributed to a number of factors, such as: rising healthcare costs, the economic downturn, the erosion of employer-sponsored health insurance, and public access cutbacks.
Local health fairs are an effective way of providing information about preventive health education, early diagnosis and treatment of disease. These fairs are a venue to get people from low-income communities into medical care, and referrals to health resources available for the community. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of attending a health fair is the opportunity to check one’s current health status and receive education regarding common conditions.
The fairs target those families that do not have insurance or are not under the care of primary-care physician. Life without health insurance forces people to be creative. They visit health fairs for free basic screenings and testing. Today, thanks to community health fairs, even though people still lacks insurance, many are not going without basic care and treatment. They are aware of the valuable services that healthcare resources provide.
The Duke Heart/Cholesterol Screening area helped many people find out about becoming heart-healthy.
El Centro Hispano Health Fair 2010 was well-attended and we received many compliments by many event participants. With the help of 319 volunteers and 66 agencies, El Centro Hispano’s 12th Health Fair was our largest health fair to date! 2,872 people from our diverse community participated and we would like to share with you some of the highlights of our event.
The following health screenings and treatment were made available at no charge in collaboration with the Alliance for AIDS Services – Carolina, Durham County Health Department, Duke Heart Center, Duke School of Nursing, Lincoln Community Health Center, NC Baptist Men’s Association, UNC-CH Dental School, UNC Kidney Center, and UNC-CH Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC):
174 glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI screenings and counseling services
45 referrals to Lincoln Community Health Center
44 HIV rapid tests and 31 HIV blood tests
31 syphilis tests
22 lead screenings for children
93 vision screenings
52 kidney screenings for adults
3 kidney screenings for children
45 dental evaluations
10 dental cleanings
11 dental services (including fillings and extractions)
Participating health agencies provided information about preventive health education, early diagnosis and treatment of disease, and educated families on health management topics, healthy lifestyle and health resources available for the community.
Durham County Sherrif's Department produced 85 identifications for local children.
Children’s activities included Home Depot-sponsored building projects for 150 children; an educational puppet show, “Good Touch, Bad Touch”, from the Durham County Health Department with 46 participants; 85 identifications for children produced by the Durham County Sheriff’s Department; as well as five educational workshops for children.
In addition, Safe Kids Durham County provided Health Fair participants with information about proper use of seat belts and child car seat safety. Eight educational workshops were conducted for adults on various topics, including calling 911 and diabetes prevention. We also offered exercise and healthy eating activities, such as, pick-up soccer and basketball clinics; dance and relaxation clinics including capoeira, zumba, salsa and yoga; and healthy cooking demonstrations.
This effort was made possible through the generous sponsorship of Duke University Health System, Durham’s Partnership for Children, Durham Parks & Recreation, Home Depot, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, TROSA, Novamex, as well as the collaborative work of participating health agencies and our wonderful volunteers who made the ECH 2010 Health Fair a success. We are grateful for your commitment and contribution to El Centro Hispano and to the general public.
El Centro Hispano (ECH) is a grassroots community based organization dedicated to strengthening the Latino community and improving the quality of life of Latino residents in Durham, Carrboro, Chapel Hill and surrounding areas. We accomplish our mission through service, education and community organizing.
For more information about our programming, please visit us at www.elcentronc.org, contact us at 919‐687‐4635 or come join us at 201 West Main Street, Suite 100 Durham, NC 27701, or at the Carrboro branCh at Unit FF in the Carrboro Plaza Shopping Center, 104 Highway 54 West Bypass, Carrboro, NC 27510
The offices are open Monday–Friday, 9am‐5pm.
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Dr. Wanda Neville says:
I am trying to email the Latino center in Carrboro but there is no answer at the phone #919-932-4652.
Do you know if they have moved and are still open or just have a new phone number?
Thanks,
Dr. Wanda Neville
jock says:
Dr. Wanda:
El Centro Hispano in Durham says the CBO office now has four numbers, very different from what was listed, apparently.
Try this: 919-945-0131 or 945-0132, 945-0133, or 945-0134. And good luck!
JL
Carrboro Commons Adviser