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MedLink News

Back to School Community Health Fair in August Was a Huge Success

           The C. W. Williams Community Health Center hosted its           appreciation events, free health screenings and much more.
                   5th annual Back to School Community Health                Close to 2,000 people attended the C. W. Williams annual
                              Fair on August 10 to mark National
                                     Health Center Week (August            health fair, which provided back to school and sports physicals,
                                      4-10). The event was part of a       immunizations, free book bags and school supplies, more than
                                     national campaign to increase         40 vendors, free food, games, raffles, pony rides and fun for the
                                    awareness of the many ways             entire family.
                                  community health centers (CHCs)
                                 are providing affordable healthcare         C. W. Williams is part of a nationwide network of locally-run
                                across the country. A host of events that  health centers that serve more than 28 million people nationwide
                              celebrated health centers being “rooted      and 550,000 people in North Carolina, many of whom live in
                             in communities” were held throughout          remote and rural communities. C.W. Williams and many other
                          the week nationwide, including health fairs,     North Carolina Community Health Centers address not just
                                                                           physical and behavioral health needs, but the roots of many
visits by Members of Congress and state officials to health centers,       health issues (called social determinants of health), such as access
resource fairs, back-to-school events, farm-to-table dinners, patient      to food, housing, transportation and other factors that affect
                                                                           health and wellness.

14 | October 2019 • Mecklenburg Medicine
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