We’ve heard the advice a thousand times: eat your veggies, see your doctor, get your shots. But with one in 10 Chicagoans unemployed – and many more counting their pennies more closely than ever – staying healthy can be an expensive and daunting task.
Austin residents will get a chance to stay healthy this Saturday, Sept. 11, when Ald. Emma Mitts hosts the seventh annual 37th Ward Health & Wellness Fair. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the auditorium of Prosser Career Academy, 2148 N. Long Ave.
The health fair will be a “one-stop shop,” said Mitts spokeswoman Andrea Smith, where adults and kids can get check-ups and immunizations, and learn ways to stay healthy in the long run.
“The alderman believes that a healthy community is a stable community,” Smith said. “With the obesity crisis, asthma, especially after the flood crisis, we’re reminding people to take care of themselves.”
Kids and teenagers can get back-to-school physicals, immunizations, dental exams, vision and hearing screenings, asthma checks and nutritional counseling. Bring your children’s immunization records if they need to get shots.
Meanwhile, adults and seniors can have their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked, get screened for diabetes, undergo testing for HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases, and more.
Best of all, all the services are free. “All you have to do is to show up,” Smith said.
While most of the action will take place in the school’s auditorium, there will be other events throughout the building. Nutritionists will lead cooking demonstrations in classrooms, and experts will give talks on topics like organic foods, herbal remedies and vitamin therapy. There will be free raffle prizes and activities throughout the day.
Last year, 300 people came out for the annual health event, Smith said. This year, as the economy continues to drag, organizers expect even more people to show up.
Fall is “prime time” for health fairs, said Tim Hadac, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Public Health, the co-sponsor of Saturday’s event and more than 100 others across Chicago each year.
That’s because parents on a budget are seeking out back-to-school immunizations for their children, Hadac said -and the need is especially high this year. The turnout has been high at health fairs this year across the board.
“You can almost link attendance overall to the economic times,” he said. “When times are hard, (people) use public resources, such as health fairs, to get the services they need. And that’s fine, that’s why we’re here … We’re the safety net.”
While Saturday’s event is primarily for residents of the 37th Ward, others won’t be turned away, Smith said.
“If they need help, that’s the whole purpose of it,” she said.
For more information, call 773-745-2894.
Read AustinTalks’ past coverage of recent health fairs by clicking here.
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