News Release | Health
During the month of December, UT Health RGV will host Health and Wellness Fairs for the community. The events will be held at UT Health RGV’s Area Health Education Centers, known as AHECs. Pictured is the AHEC in San Carlos, located at 230 N. 86th St., where a Health and Wellness Fair will be held this Friday from 8 a.m.- 12 p.m.
Thursday, December 9, 2021
Community
By Dimitra Trejo
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – UT Health RGV’s Area Health Education Centers, known as AHECs, will offer free healthcare screenings to the community from Dec. 9-14, as part of its health and wellness fairs.
UT Health RGV is the clinical arm of the UTRGV School of Medicine, and the healthcare fairs are part of their efforts to provide essential medical services in the Valley’s rural areas.
Briana Gonzalez, UT Health RGV community health worker, will oversee the Health and Wellness Fair at the San Carlos AHEC. The fair will offer valuable benefits and healthcare information for those who attend, she said.
“Our goal is to improve access to primary and specialty healthcare in the Valley,” she said. “As a medical school, we are working to transform healthcare for our residents and our communities, and these health and wellness fairs are part of that mission.”
People who attend will have the opportunity to get their COVID-19 vaccine – both Pfizer and Moderna will be available. In addition, stroke prevention and diabetes education, blood pressure assessments, and information booths all will be part of the services provided at no cost.
SCHEDULE FOR THE FAIRS
Patients will not need to bring any healthcare documentation. However, if you plan to get a COVID-19 vaccination, you will need to provide a valid identification card, and a vaccination card for those who already have had at least one shot.
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.