Jackie Ruiz, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Health Educator (Right), assists a visitor at a Community Health Fair that was held Feb. 25. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA – Hundreds of community members and families came through a free Community Health Fair sponsored by The Health Access and Care Coordination Project on Saturday, Feb. 25 to take part in a variety of services, from screenings to group fitness classes.
Co-hosted by the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara and the Health Access and Care Coordination Project, the event was held at the Franklin Neighborhood Center on East Montecito Street. It provided low-income residents of the community the opportunity to meet with and explore valuable health-related resources available throughout Santa Barbara. The fair included health screenings, such as A1C glucose screening, blood pressure measurement, Body Mass Index measurement (BMI), vision screenings and immunizations. The day was filled with fun fitness classes, healthy food offerings, children’s activities and giveaway for health and wellness themed prizes.
“The success of the Community Health Fair really emphasizes the local need for these services,” said Alice Villarreal Redit, Resident Services Supervisor for the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara. “We’re thankful to all of the dedicated organizations that were here to meet this vital need.”
Community organizations participating in the Saturday event included: CenCal Health, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, William Sansum Diabetes Center, Behavioral Wellness, Eyeglass Factory, New Beginnings Counseling Center, Planned Parenthood, PathPoint, Domestic Violence Solutions for Santa Barbara County, PathPoint, CADA-Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Doctors Without Walls – Santa Barbara Street Medicine, Hospice of Santa Barbara, Visiting Nurse & Hospice Care, CALM (Child Abuse Listening Mediation), SEE International, Every Woman Counts and American Indian Health Services.
To learn more about the HACC Project or the Community Health Fair, contact: Hannah Greenberg at (805) 897-1054 or hgreenberg@hacsb.org.
The Health Access and Care Coordination (HACC) Project, is a year-long multi-agency collaborative funded through a grant from CenCal Health and designed to improve access to primary care and behavioral health services for newly eligible MediCal recipients residing in affordable housing. The collaborative is headed by the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara, and includes New Beginnings Counseling Center, PathPoint, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Doctors Without Walls, Doctors Assisting Seniors at Home (DASH) and Vertical Change.