Minority health offers back to school readiness fair

Aug. 4—ELKHART — Looking for some help getting the kids ready for the school year? The Minority Health Coalition's Annual Health Fair and Back2School will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. this Saturday.

Since 1997, MHC has been trying to promote a healthier and more active lifestyle for minority populations of Elkhart County. They realized that underserved children struggle to have physicals and vaccinations by the time they start school and developed the health fair to help fill in the gaps.

The Health & Back2School Fair will be held outdoors at Roosevelt Elementary School, 201 W. Wolf Ave., Elkhart.

Vendors and partners will be lined in a circular format to allow families to more easily navigate the vendors.

"They'll have the opportunity to actually dialogue with our local resources that are here and those surrounding health care," Morris said.

Community partners participating in the fair include HIP, Heart City Health Center, MDwise, Elkhart Community Schools, IMHC, Indiana Tobacco Quitline, City of Elkhart, CareSource, and the Elkhart County Health Department.

School-aged immunizations will be provided, as well as preventative care health screens for hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes, and education. There will also be COVID-19 immunizations available.

"Everybody thinks of (the ER) as their first place to go for healthcare," Morris said. "Doing this, and now we see so many, it initiates that engagement for those in need that are uninsured."

Morris recalled attending SummerFest through the Indiana Black Expo in Indianapolis near 20 years ago and experiencing her first health fair like the one MHC puts on today.

"For our organization this hits hard, at home," Morris said. "That's our base here, to make sure people have that link as we continue to navigate."

There will be giveaways and food on site including backpacks and school supplies while they last.

Children must be present in order to receive a backpack and supplies, and children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. Offerings are first come, first serve.

"This is open to all races, but it's targeted at minority races that may be medically underserved, or struggling at the school," Morris said. "

For more information, contact the Minority Health Coalition at 574-522-0128 or email elkmhc@gmail.com.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.