SIMI VALLEY : Health Screenings Slated for Children
Free immunizations and health care screenings will be offered to Ventura County children under 7 on Sept. 8 in Simi Valley.
The Kids Care Fair, sponsored by several advocacy groups throughout the state, will provide preventive health services for children “while increasing awareness to their health care problems,” said Wendy Lazarus, a spokeswoman for Children Now.
Low birth weight, preventable diseases and eating disorders are becoming more common because many children in California have not been immunized or are without adequate medical attention, Lazarus said.
“A baby born in California is more likely to die from low birth weight than a child born in Iran, Egypt or Hong Kong,” said Lazarus, whose group backs state legislation that would provide coverage for all uninsured youths under 18. “There has been a 62% increase in uninsured children in the past six years.”
The fair, which will travel to 37 locations around Southern California, will make a one-day stop at Mountain Gate Plaza in Simi Valley. From noon to 5 p.m., medical professionals will issue all of the recommended immunizations, including for measles, mumps, polio and hemophilis-influenza B, Lazarus said.
Screenings for dyslexia, hearing and dental problems will also be given. Information will be provided on a range of topics.
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