Safety First: Event Offers Help to Children on Wheels

Paul L. Foster School of Medicine Students United Para Nuestra Salud recently organized a health fair in northeast El Paso with help from family medicine faculty, residents and nursing staff, to offer free health services to the community.

University Medical Center staff and University of Texas at El Paso students offered screenings and information on ECGs, body mass index, blood pressure, diabetes, muscular skeletal injury diagnosis and treatment, colon cancer, prostate cancer and nutrition for children, said second-year medical student Caleb Janosz.

“We could not have done this fair without the help of our many volunteers,” Janosz said.

In addition, the Texas Medical Association/American Medical Association/El Paso County Medical Society Chapter hosted a successful Hard Hats for Little Heads event at the health fair.

Thanks to contributions from the El Paso County Medical Society, local physician Dr. Frank Meissner, and Paul L. Foster School of Medicine student Cynthia Garza-Meissner, 140 bicycle helmets were given away to children in the community, said medical student Azadeh Nasrazadani.

“The children were excited to sign their pledges to wear their helmets when participating in any sports on wheels, while their parents were supplied with educational materials on safety,” Nasrazadani said.

Medical students interacted one-on-one with families, sizing helmets for children and promoting physical activity. The Texas Medical Association/American Medical Association/El Paso County Medical Society Chapter plans to make Hard Hats for Little Heads an annual event.

The Hard Hats for Little Heads program is made possible through a grant from the Texas Medical Association Foundation thanks to top donors Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, Prudential and an anonymous foundation and gifts from physicians and their families.