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Westside Hosts Health Fair

Free Health Services Will Be Available at Bohnett Park

Friday, September 21, 2012
By Brandon Fastman (Contact)

Come for the music, stay for the free blood pressure test. That’s what an army of agencies and nonprofits converging on a newly upgraded Bohnett Park this Sunday are hoping will happen at the Family Day and Health Fair.

The fair — one part block party and one part education session — was born out of a forum last year put on by Westside THRIVE and held at the Westside Boys and Girls Club, which is hosting the event aimed at connecting residents with health services and offering them the opportunity to engage in some routine screenings.

Attendees at the free event — with free lunch served to the first 500 visitors — will be able to check their height and weight measurements, take asthma tests, discuss their emotional well-being, and undergo hearing, vision, and dental screenings.

First District Supervisor Salud Carbajal has lent his staff and his figurative megaphone to promote the fair, which ties into National Wellness Week. He’s especially excited about hourly drawings for prizes like computers and tickets to Dodgers games. Participants can increase their chances of winning by visiting booths manned by about 60 organizations including Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Welcome Every Baby, SEE International, and Cottage Hospital.

With bounce houses and live music from performers like Tremoloco and Spencer the Gardener setting up shop at Bohnett Park, the fair’s organizers are hoping that a heaping teaspoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.

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