A Children’s Health Fair will take place Saturday, March 21st , outside of the Walmart Super Center located at 305 Commerce Drive on Highway 76 between Marion and Mullins from 1pm-4pm. The health fair will focus primarily on the health care issues affecting Hispanic children in Marion County, with an emphasis on asthma and allergy awareness. The Nursing Department at Francis Marion University will provide free health screening with the assistance of Spanish interpreters. Bilingual staff of the Carolinas Cross Cultural Health Services will be on hand to provide health education and answer questions from parents.
Asthma is the number one reason for hospitalizations among all children in Marion County, and the most preventable hospitalization. According to most recent SC Department of Health & Environmental (DHEC) statistics, hospitalization rates for children 0-4 with asthma in Marion County was over double that of South Carolina’s state average hospitalization rates for children with asthma. These hospitalizations have a huge burden on our health care system, as well as, the children and their parents. Also, uncontrolled asthma can cause children to miss up to 10-30 days of school, and parents miss numerous work days. The amount charged in 2012 for hospital and emergency room visits in Marion County for asthmatic children 18 years or younger was $280,900.
The Hispanic child population has more than doubled in SC in the last decade. Asthma has become a dangerous burden for many Hispanic children, due to impoverished conditions that put them at greater risk for the development of asthma and asthma disparities.
It is hoped that this health screening fair will help identify young Hispanic children with asthma and allergies and insure that they have a primary care physician for them to receive needed treatment.
Carolinas Cross Cultural Health Services will initiate a county wide Health Needs Survey for Hispanic children and families at this event. The Marion County Healthcare Foundation recently awarded a mini grant to it to conduct this survey.
Organizations participating in the health fair are: Carolinas Cross Cultural Health Services, Francis Marion University Nursing Department, Family Connection of SC, PASOs, SC Thrive, Trinity Behavioral Health, and Pee Dee Healthy Start.