More than 2,000 receive services at this year’s Binational Health Week

This year’s Binational Health Week’s free screenings reached 2,432 people throughout Merced County, officials announced last week.

Binational Health Week was observed over a two-week period in October to improve the health and well-being of the underserved Latino population living in the United States and Canada.

In Merced County, the series of health events provided outreach, education and basic care. The health fairs took place in Merced, Atwater, Livingston, Planada and Los Banos.

Information at the events focused on occupational health, access to health insurance, HIV education, influenza and diabetes. Screenings included: blood pressure, glucose, hearing, vision, dental exams and flu shots.

According to service counts released by the Binational Health Week committee, 1,143 people were screened in the city of Merced. Another 282 were screened in Atwater, while 315 in Livingston. About 280 individuals received free services in Planada, and about 127 residents in Los Banos.

This year, a total of 856 flu shots were administered, 200 more than last year.

Committee chair Salvador Vazquez said he was pleased with this year’s results. He believes the events were successful because people are becoming more familiar with the work done during Binational Health Week.

The week of health care services has been going on in Merced County for more than 10 years, and each year organizers see more people come out, Vazquez explained.

He also called this year a success because, for the first time, organizers were able to put on a dental clinic.

Typically, dental screenings have been offered, he said, but this year four local dentists were on board to provide cleaning, extractions and other dental work to 126 people at no cost. The dental clinic was possible in big part to the newly added participation of the Yosemite Dental Society and Tzu Chi Dental team.

A committee for next year’s Binational Health Week has been formed and will have its first meeting in January.

“We’re looking forward to expanding services even more,” Vazquez said. “There’s only a couple of places in the west side that we haven’t covered; we’re hoping to do that soon.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2014 at 6:37 PM with the headline "More than 2,000 receive services at this year’s Binational Health Week."