Hundreds of people took advantage of services and resources offered at the Back to School Party sponsored by the First Ladies Health Initiative on July 28.
The free event, held at the First Ladies Health House in South L.A., featured free vaccinations for children and free health screenings for adults. Also, 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to students.
Several health partners and volunteers donated their time and expertise to provide screenings for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and various cancers. The medical and health representatives were from Walgreens, City of Hope, Inglewood L.A. EECP Center, Mount Saint Mary’s University, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Charles R. Drew University, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Pleased at the turnout for the Back To School Party, FLHI Executive Director Tracey Alston said, “Walgreens and the First Ladies Health Initiative realize the importance of affordable health screenings and immunizations for both adults and children, especially in our underprivileged neighborhoods. So, we held this party to ensure that local students and their families have the required immunizations necessary to begin the upcoming new school year health and happy.”
The Walgreen’s sponsored First Ladies Health Initiative is comprised of more than 170 pastors’ wives across the United States dedicated to confronting health disparities by providing free medical screenings. Since the program began in 2008, nearly 200,000 medical tests and health screenings have been performed.
Last year, the FLHI Los Angeles Chapter opened the First Ladies Health House at 2249 South Hobart Blvd., in Los Angeles. The facility offers free health screenings, health clinics, healthy cooking classes and more on a monthly basis. The Health House is also available for health-related speaking engagements and rentals.
For more information, call (424) 234-8483 or (773) 405-1250 or visit firstladieshealth.com.
