AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Public Health’s Health Equity Unit will host the “Fiesta de Salud” tomorrow. It welcomes after it was last held in 2019, addresses health inequalities facing the city’s Hispanic and Latino communities, and celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Health Fair will be held at Walnut Creek Elementary School (401 W Breaker Lane) from 10am to 2pm.

APH Director Adrienne Sturrup said in a press release: She said: “I am thrilled to be hosting the Fiesta de Salud again, an opportunity to complete important health checks and stay up to date on vaccines.

The unit holds several similar events in Austin, each event organized by a specific task force. Fiesta is a Hispanic/Latino task force project. The APH team will be there to manage vaccines and screenings:

• Vaccines available: COVID-19, Flu, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap), Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, HPV, Shingles.
• Available Screens: Kidney, Vision, Blood Pressure, Blood Glucose, A1C, Cholesterol.

APH Program Coordinator Connie Gonzalez leads the task force. For at least the past four months, she’s been spending time preparing for this Saturday’s event.

“It takes time to reconnect with community partners, secure venues, and schedule dates on the calendar,” Gonzalez says of the process. “What’s great is our unit. We all work together and help each other.”

She emphasizes that the event also contributes greatly to community partnerships. For example, she notes that Capital Metro distributes bus passes and Central Texas Food Bank distributes her 250 food boxes.

“Our community partners play a huge role in delivering all these services to the community,” said Gonzalez. “We are trying to help with all the barriers that people have suffered during COVID. We look at it through the lens of health equity.”

The event, which also includes live entertainment and family-friendly activities, is completely free. Scheduled performances include Danza Azteca Guadalpana de Austin, the Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team, and the Grubers of the Texas Line Dance Team.

This is a job that Gonzales enjoys. She speaks to the community and expresses her love for helping it.

“It feels good. I feel like I’ve made new friends and I can help meet their needs. I’m very happy to do that,” said Gonzalez. “Austin has a high percentage of Hispanics, and many of them don’t have access to healthcare. We can improve their quality of life. That’s the ultimate goal.”