The Idaho Immunization Coalition hosted a free event on Saturday at the Idaho Hispanic Community Center in Nampa to help people with their health.
The Community Health Fair featured more than 40 vendors, free vaccines for people of all ages and a variety of health related services from hair cuts, to mammograms and a food pantry.
"It’s amazing to be able to provide this for the community," said Maricruz Baltazar-Velasco of the Idaho Immunization Coalition. "We know there are gaps when people are trying to find these health services with accessibility, cost and long wait times so it is amazing to be able to have all of these items all in one spot where someone can have a fun day and have all of these resources available."
Level Up Barber and Beauty has served the Nampa and Caldwell area for the past two years. They partnered with students from Paul Mitchell to provide free haircuts.
"All of us are given a gift by God up above and then he puts us in platforms like this to be able to give back and put a smile on somebody’s face," said Fermin Figueroa, the owner of Level Up. "It feels so great, it’s the greatest value to me, it’s more then currency."
That's pretty much the theme at the Community Health Fair with a focus on vaccinations. Idaho State University and Southwest District Health were both at the Idaho Hispanic Community Center to provide vaccines.
"Immunizations really are a key part of wellness," said Baltazar-Velasco. "They are one of the best tools we have to prevent serious diseases."
This marks the fourth year of the Community Health Fair. Last year they had more than a thousand people show up and they expect those numbers have increased as people were waiting an hour before the event started.
The event also featured a variety of things for the children as they were able to get their faces painted, smash a pinata, watch some Hispanic themed entertainment or say hi to Buster the Bronco. It was a fun day in Nampa, but one that also showed this kind of event is needed.
"It’s been pretty busy and we love it," said Figueroa. "If we give back to the community, the community always gives back ten fold."
