Health Department to hold annual Back-To-School Fair

The Hays County Health Department will host a Back-To-School Fair on July 20 at the health department in San Marcos, Texas. Vaccinations and free backpacks purchased with donated funds from State Rep. Erin Zwiener will be available for school-age children.

The fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All children’s back-to-school and adult immunizations will be available for those eligible under Texas Vaccines for Children (and Adult Safety Net requirements. Free hearing and vision screenings and STI/HIV screenings will be available. Hays County Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace J.R. Mendoza will be cooking food for fair visitors. The HCHD is located at 101 Thermon Dr. in San Marcos.

'Ensuring our children are vaccinated and ready for school is crucial,' said Tammy Crumley, Hays County Health Department director. 'By providing these immunizations and other health screenings, we are helping our community stay healthy and thrive.'

The HCHD participates in the TVFC and ASN programs, which provide low-cost vaccines to eligible individuals. To be eligible for TVFC, children must be 18 years of age or younger, eligible for the Medicaid program or have no health insurance, or are American Indian or Alaska Native as defined by the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. To be eligible for ASN, adults must be 19 years of age or older and uninsured.

“In addition to the fair, we also offer free vaccinations for underinsured children 18 years and younger at the health department every day that we are open,” said Matthew Gonzales, Health Department manager. “If you can’t make it to the fair, stop by during our clinic hours for your immunizations before school starts.”

The health department clinic is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday hours are 8 to 10 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. The clinic is open on Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. While walk-ins are accepted, appointments are preferred. Please call the health department at 512-393-5520 to schedule an appointment.

For more information on the Back-To-School Fair and future events, visit the Hays County Health Department's Facebook page, https:// www.facebook.com/HaysCountyLocalHealth- Department/ or contact Community Outreach Specialist Austin Baier at Austin.Baier@co.hays . tx.us.