Health Science Center Students Bringing Health Circus to Caldwell

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Health Circus-Caldwell
January 15, 2004
Contact: John Holder (979) 458-0669
Office of Communications
The Texas A&M University System
Health Science Center
http://tamhsc.edu
Health Science Center Students Bringing Health Circus to Caldwell
The circus is coming! Students at The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center’s College of Medicine are holding a Health Circus in Caldwell.
The Health Circus will be held Monday, January 19, 2004, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Caldwell Middle School campus (in the “Mini-Gym”) at 203 North Gray Street in Caldwell.
Services available at the Health Circus, all provided free of charge, include immunizations (please bring past records if available); healthy child screenings; dental screenings; adult blood pressure checks; adult blood sugar checks; health education on such topics as nutrition, childhood development, breast cancer awareness, prenatal care and sexually transmitted diseases; and TexCare/CHIP signup.
In addition to the health activities, fun, circus-themed activities will be available including face painting, a moonwalk, balloon animals, clowns and other booths for children.
“We are excited about Health Circus Caldwell,” said Chris Thompson, College of Medicine student and publicity chairman for the event. “A goal of Health Circus is to expand services to better meet the needs of the Brazos Valley. We have been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm and receptiveness of the Caldwell community to the return of Health Circus for the second year in a row.”
The Health Circus is being produced in partnership with a number of organizations, including community residents, community leaders and service providers, including Phoebe’s Home, Scotty’s House, Hospice of Brazos Valley, BVCASA and Prevention Resource Center and MHMR.
The Health Circus is a grassroots program started in 2002 by Texas A&M University Health Science Center students. It is a non-profit traveling health fair that seeks to increase childhood immunization, healthy child screenings and child insurance enrollment rates and to encourage the use of the local health care and dental care systems.
The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center provides the state with health education, outreach and research. Its five components located in communities throughout Texas are Baylor College of Dentistry, the College of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology and the School of Rural Public Health.
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