A free event Saturday will offer a wide variety of health information and screenings for low-income Hispanic women in the region.
The focus of the eight annual Día de la Mujer Latina Health Festival in National City will be preventing disease and promoting wellness, said the event's chair, Dr. Ana Navarro, a professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at UCSD.
She said low-income Latina women face challenges in accessing health care in a timely manner making events such as this one important.
The festival will offer breast exams and mammograms as well as screenings for glucose, cholesterol, HIV, bone density, among others. The HPV vaccine to protect against cervical cancer also will be available.
The event, which offers information in English and in Spanish, is geared for those who are uninsured or underinsured although everyone is welcome. Some tests require participants to meet eligibility requirements.
The health festival, organized by the Latina organization MANA of San Diego, is a collaborative effort among local health providers, agencies and programs. Participating organizations include National Association of Hispanic Nurses, San Ysidro Health Center, Sharp Healthcare, UCSD Eyemobile for Children, UCSD Health Systems, La Maestra Community Clinic, San Diego Imaging, and Family Health Centers of San Diego.
Latinas face particular health challenges. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanic women. They are twice as likely to contract cervical cancer as white women. And 43 percent of Hispanic women are clinically obese, according to federal health authorities.
Promoting wellness among Latinas contributes to the entire San Diego community, said Dr. Navarro. "We all benefit."
[sidebar]Latina health fair
The Día de la Mujer Latina Health Festival is Saturday, May 14, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Martin Luther King Jr. Building, 140 East 12th Street (by Kimball Park), in National City, CA 91950. Information is available at: manasd.org under "Events."
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