An annual health fair will be taking place Friday in Knox with the aim of getting kids ready to return to school.
This is Healthlinc’s 8th “Back to School” health and wellness fair – which will provide students with basic school supplies and backpacks, but also provide them with sports physicals and immunization opportunities.
Healthlinc Site Manager Angie Garner says the event is free to the public.
“This is truly a community event,” says Garner. “You don’t have to live in Starke County. Some places are very limited, they can only help people that live in Starke County. Or only help people that fall beneath the poverty line. We are open to anybody, this is open to anybody.”
The fair will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. A tent will be set-up in the 100 block of East Culver Road for parents and their students to peruse the vendors and retrieve any supplies that may be needed.
Paper, pencils, crayons, markers, and backpacks will be distributed. Healthlinc says that giving Knox students adequate supplies can increase their confidence and prevent barriers to learning.
Garner says Healthlinc is using the fair as an opportunity to educate the public on their value as a Federally Qualified Health Clinic.
“It allows us to see patients who may not be able to receive services at another place because of a lack of insurance,” says Garner. “We see patients without insurance, we help patients get insurance if they need it and if they’re eligible. And then we see patients with insurance or Medicare or Medicaid. So we really are truly a community health center.”
Healthlinc recently moved to the opposite end of their building site, expanding their staff and services as a result.
The “Back to School” fair will run until 5:00 p.m.
