Families preparing for the new school year had access to free physicals, vaccinations, backpacks and other essential resources on Tuesday during Santa Barbara County's fourth annual Back-to-School Health Fair.
Nearly 30 local organizations gathered at the Santa Maria Health Care Center to provide health services and connect families with resources ahead of the start of the school year.
According to Santa Barbara County Public Health Director Mouhanad Hammami, one of the biggest benefits of the event is helping families secure immunization appointments during one of the busiest times of the year.
"You have a lot of things that you need to squeeze into a short time, specifically school physicals, catch-up immunizations, school supplies and all that," Hammami said. "We wanted this event to be supportive for both families and children."
Dr. Christine Reyes, a pediatrician at Santa Maria Health Care Center, said most families stay current on the vaccinations required for school enrollment. However, she said influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations are often overlooked.
"I think there is a little bit of a challenge with the flu and COVID vaccine, which are not required by school but are still highly recommended because they protect children from illness and even acute complications from the flu and COVID," Dr. Reyes said.
She said those vaccinations help protect not only individual children but the broader community as students return to classrooms.
"Not only are we protecting children from preventable diseases, but it also helps protect the community because the more people who are vaccinated, the less disease spreads," Reyes said.
In addition to health services, families received backpacks, school supplies and hygiene items to help reduce back-to-school expenses.
For student Natalie Moody, the event offered some financial relief for her family.
"What brought me here today was that we could get different types of school supplies, so my mom doesn't have to buy as many school supplies as she does every year," Moody said.
Residents who missed Tuesday's event in Santa Maria will have two additional opportunities to attend the Back-to-School Health Fair. The event will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 5 in Lompoc and on Thursday, Aug. 6 in Santa Barbara, offering many of the same free health services, school supplies and community resources for families preparing for the upcoming school year.
Hammami said families who are unable to attend any of the health fairs can still access many of the same services year-round through Santa Barbara County Public Health Centers.
"We want people to know these resources don't end when the event is over," Hammami said. "The county's five public health clinics provide many of these services free of charge, five days a week."
Additionally, Hammami said the county has expanded language access by adding Mixteco translation services at its Santa Maria health center, as 70% of the clinic's patients speak Mixteco. This service is intended to better connect the many Mixteco-speaking families in the area with health care and other essential resources.
