With the start of school right around the corner, some local students took advantage of free medical and dental attention before heading back to class. On Saturday, the Southern Jersey Family Medical Center offered free immunizations, dental and vision screenings to all children who visited the facility on High Street as part of “Children’s Health Day.”Aside from getting a healthy checkup, children were treated to a day full of outdoor fun, including face painting, caricatures, and hula hoop, jump rope and water balloon contests.
“It’s a good time of year to have this event,” said Ethel Richards, center administrator at the Southern Jersey Family Medical Center’s Burlington location. “We are promoting health and physical activity and even giving away book bags with school supplies to help get kids ready for school.”The event helps underprivileged students, who may not have health insurance, receive proper health care before the school year begins.
In addition to the medical center handing out freebies, several vendors were on hand to sweeten the deal. Rita’s Water Ice was scooping out refreshing treats; the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department was giving out free bicycle helmets and representatives from U.S. Senator Robert Menendez’s office were dishing out information to adults on topics such as social security, Medicare and veteran’s affairs.
The children only had one thing in mind: fun in the sun.
“I came here with a lot of people from my family because it’s a good time,” said Sandra Chavez of Philadelphia, whose daughter Natalia won a hula hoop contest at the event just two days before her tenth birthday. “We’re just having a lot of fun outside today.”
Others such as 3-year-old Airim Rodriguez of Florence used the opportunity to get a free eye test and dental screening before taking part in the activities outside. “We love coming here,” said Airim’s mother Enyelka Rodriguez, as she watched her daughter skip rope. “The people here are so nice and treat everyone so well.”
The Southern Jersey Family Medical Center, which also has offices in Pemberton Township as well as Atlantic and Salem Counties, spends much of its summer tending to adults who can’t afford health care.
On Saturday, one of the air conditioned company buses was used for dental exams for children. During the rest of the summer, employees such as Jack Baenig are driving with staff to farms to provide community members such as migrant workers with proper health care for free. “We drive around with doctors and dentists as an outreach program to give the workers medical and dental attention,” Baenig said. “We help people who get sick in the fields and may have limited or no health care.”