Skid Row Health Fair Offers Free Services to the Homeless

For clinic worker Christine Garcia of the Los Angeles Mission, persuading the homeless to take HIV tests is the easier part of her job. The challenge is making sure they come back for the results.

So she decided to hand out free calling cards Tuesday to those who return to find out. It was a novel perk among many used by dozens of agencies participating in the fifth annual Central City Community Health Fair for the homeless, which took place on the streets of downtown’s skid row.

The three-block area between San Pedro and Wall Street on downtown’s 5th Street is known as one of the gloomiest in the city, but it was transformed Tuesday with colorful balloons and the sound of live music.

At the fair, the city’s homeless visited information booths and trailers as they received free health services and learned about resources available to them. They also got free suntan lotion, shampoo, toothbrushes and T-shirts for participating in some of the screenings.

“It’s something to lift their spirits a little bit,” Bob Suazo, who runs the mobile unit of the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic, said of the freebies.

By midmorning, long lines had formed at almost every table providing health services. More than 40 agencies provided a variety of free exams.

“It’s a wonderful idea,” said Rachel Roman, who came to the fair with three of her children. She is staying in a nearby shelter and said it was important to provide medical services at the fair because so many homeless people are apprehensive about going to a doctor or a dentist’s office.