CLEARWATER - The thirteenth (13th) annual Children's Health Fair - Highlight On Health - occurring Saturday, July 15, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., at Clearwater's Long Center, is one of upper Pinellas County's most worthwhile events. This free health fair is managed by Kiwanis Club of Springtime City and presented by Morton Plant Hospital and others.
Doctors, dentists and other medical personnel, assisted by about 150 volunteers, will be providing free to all children (kindergarten through 12th grade) health screenings, including school physicals, eye exams, hearing tests, dental exams, immunizations (including the hepatitis B shot now required for incoming seventh-graders), and spinal exams. The hepatitis requirement is a series of three shots; so now is a good time to start.
Parents: Please bring your children's shot records.
Morton Plant Hospital will be providing echocardiograms - ultrasound tests that are painless and non-invasive - the best way to detect structural heart disorders to all high school athletes along with their sport physicals. Echocardiograms, which range from $800 to $1400, are normally not covered by insurance companies for screening young athletes.
There will be clowns, magicians, and a free lunch for every one that attends.
This all began when Kiwanis International, 15 years ago, announced a nationwide effort, Young Children: Priority One, to immunize at least 90 percent of all children. Highland on Health chairman Doug Williams said his Springtime City Kiwanis Club decided to expand on the idea and include other medical tests and child safety information. v His club first enlisted the help of other Kiwanis clubs which have adopted it as their Division service project and then to other service organizations in upper Pinellas to seek volunteers from all community groups including: Civitan, Lions, Rotary, Sertoma, Zonta, Ambucs and others.
It truly has become a community-wide effort for people helping people.
No reservations are necessary for this free event, just go to the Long Cener, 1501 Belcher Road, midway between NE Coachman and Sunset Point Road. Information is available at www.kiwanis.org/club/springtimecity or from Doug Williams at (727) 725-3345.