Back-To-School Health Fairs offer free vaccines and sports physicals in Santa Barbara County

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is doing its part to ensure students get off to a healthy start in the new school year.

That's what second annual Back-to-School Health Fairs are going on throughout the county.

The first fair took place at Franklin Health Care Center on Tuesday.

Public Health Director Mouhanad Hammami said it coincides with Health Center Week.

"We have 5 centers geographically distributed across the county, so, we are doing three major health fairs," said Hammami, "We hope that we will be able to support our families and our students to begin a school year with a health start."

Hammami who happens to speak Arabic met a family at the fair that speaks it, too.

Professor Ali Abuzaid is a UCSB Scholar at Risk who just arrived from Gaza with his wife and four children ages three to 12.

"I just arrived from Gaza I am waiting to enroll my kids in school and I need the list of vaccinations, so they offer all the vaccinations in the same place," said Abuzaid, " Thank you to the county."

Administrative Office Professional Claudia Perez met the family at the clinic last week and suggested they come to the fair.

Abuzaid will be teaching statistics at UCSB.

His children got the vaccines and physicals they needed to go to school locally.

Parents in attendance said they appreciated getting so much done in one visit.

Those with limited resources also appreciate getting vaccines, and physicals for free.

Health fair-goers also had a chance to check their blood pressure thanks to nursing students from Westmont College.

The next Back-To-School Health Fairs will be on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Lompoc Health Care Center, and Thursday, August 8, 2024: 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Santa Maria Health Care Center.

For more information visit www.publichealthsbc.org

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