Free health fair in LA for everyone, including undocumented

MHAP Director Pedro Ramirez with Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim. TET VALDEZ/EVANGELINE RODRIGUEZ

LOS ANGELES – To drum up public interest in a free multicultural health fair, consuls from 10 countries held a media event with St. Vincent Medical Center on Friday, September 18.

The consulates of Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Korea, Thailand and the Philippines turned out to support the Free Multicultural Health Fair to be held on September 27 at 2222 Ocean View Avenue, near Alvarado and Third streets.

Pedro Ramirez, director of Multicultural Health Awareness and Prevention (MHAP) Center, said the multicultural health fair, which is now on its 13th year, is St. Vincent Medical Center’s response to the needs of low-income and uninsured individuals, many of them constituencies of the participating consulates.

Ramirez said the health fair was a “significant partnership that greatly advances our goal of providing health access in our community.”

Besides the consulates, the health care awareness program also involves the City of Los Angeles through Councilman Mitch O’Farrell of the 13th Council District and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim of the Philippines, one of project partners of the health fair, encouraged Filipinos, including the undocumented individuals, to take advantage of multicultural health fair, noting that “first of all, it’s free.”

“It’s important for them to realize that they cannot work if they are not healthy,” advised Herrera-Lim. “Also they should not worry about their personal information because the health fair providers do not share information with government agencies.

The health fair also presents significant savings for participants.

“If one avails of all the health screenings being offered free, an individual could save up to $3,000 — a mammography screening alone could cost approximately $400,” said Ramirez.

He also told TheFilAmLA that a survey conducted by St. Vincent’s in early 2000, showed that the second cause of Filipino women’s death in California was breast cancer, which can partly be attributed to failure to avail of mammography screenings.

Ramirez added: “The health fair is really a big opportunity for anyone to check up on one’s health status without spending a lot of money, besides the obvious convenience of the health and medical screenings being available at the same time and place.”

Various health screenings for mammography, cholesterol, dental, glucose. diabetes, anemia, osteoporosis, blood pressure, vision, HIV/STD, body fat and many others will be available during the health fair. Free flu shots, acupuncture and other medical information will also be offered to all participants on a first-come first served basis.

For more information, the Multicultural Health Awareness and Prevention (MHAP) Center number is (213) 484-7766.