‘Nearly every medical specialty’ will be offered at annual Glendale Health Festival
For the seventh year, the Glendale Health Festival will provide a day of free, comprehensive health services and education to anyone willing to stop by this Saturday.
The event is again courtesy of the Armenian American Medical Society in partnership with the city of Glendale and numerous clubs and associations. Medical staff from Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital will be at many of the screening areas.
Starting at a triage location, participants will go to various health screenings and services provided by more than 100 volunteers and medical professionals. These will include cardiologists, neurologists and podiatrists.
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Oral surgeon Dr. Armond Kotikian has been chairman of the festival for the past couple of years and said the event is a rare opportunity where residents can get a package deal on a complete health evaluation.
“It’s really one of the only ways where you can have nearly every medical specialty — including pharmacy, dentistry, optometrists — under one roof, and you can pretty much go station to station and have everything addressed head to toe, Kotikian said.
The festival frequently welcomes 1,000 to 1,200 participants. In the past, medical screenings have shown cancer in a few participants, and they are given immediate referrals to doctors in such cases, according to Kotikian.
The festival will provide several services including hearing tests, vision exams, mental health education, blood work and mammograms. New this year will be dental fillings and extractions.
For those who are in need, breast and cervical cancer screenings will be available, too. In addition, there will be flu shots and CPR training.
Organizers have made sure to include activities in the “waiting room,” so to speak, where children and other family members can eat a healthy complimentary lunch and attend seminars about education on proper nutrition and diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
“Thanks to the hundreds of medical professionals involved, we are able to take care of our community,” said Raffi Tachdjian, president of the Armenian American Medical Society, in a statement.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Pacific Edison Community Center, 501 S. Pacific Ave.
For more information, visit glendalehealthfestival.com.
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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com
Twitter: @JeffLanda
