Latino health fair draws hundreds

Latino health fair draws hundreds
WKOW TV, Aug 15, 2009

OREGON (WKOW) -- It was a chance for hundreds of uninsured and under-insured hispanics in Dane County to get a check-up on their health.

The Oregon Sports and Fitness Club hosted the 11th Annual Latino Health Fair.

Forty exhibitors, from clinics to insurance companies, educated people about the health care system.

There were also chances for free screenings for conditions like high cholesterol, glaucoma, and HIV.

"So a whole set of screening exams for people who don't have access to maybe those exams through insurance or other means," said Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, the co-chair of the Latino Health Council.

The theme of Saturday's fair was "Obesity and Health Lifestyles."

Also there was Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison), who has worked in recent weeks in Washington, D.C. on health care reform proposals.

While organizers wouldn't take a position on specific reform ideas, Bidar-Sielaff said the turnout for the event shows many people are finding themselves left out from access to health care, especially for groups like Dane County's emerging hispanic community.

"People are new immigrants in the community, so they really don't understand how you go about accessing the health care system here in the United States, so this is often kind of a first place for people to find out information about the health care system in the U.S.," she said.