Southern Utah Pacific Islander Coalition holds free drive-thru health fair

Photo by dusanpetkovic/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — The Southern Utah Pacific Islander Coalition is holding their eighth annual health fair on Saturday in the Udvar-Hazy building parking lot on the campus of Dixie State University. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s heath fair will be a drive-thru event complete with free COVID-19 tests, limited flu shots and food boxes while supplies last.

“We really wanted to hold our health fair – while still honoring COVID restrictions – and providing much-needed support to the community,” SUPIC board member Karyn Keanaaina said. “We know that many people have lost their jobs or are struggling, and we wanted to do our part to help.”

All the services at the health fair are free, and the event itself is open not only to Polynesian families but the entire community.

According to a press release from SUPIC announcing the health fair, COVID-19 has killed 28 Polynesian Utahns, and the community’s mortality rate is the highest in the state. Polynesians are also two times more likely to be hospitalized if they get COVID-19. With a representation of about 1.6% of the state’s population, Polynesians make up 3.3% of Utah’s total coronavirus cases.

A flu shot is administered during the Southern Utah Pacific Islander Coalition health fair, St. George, Utah, Nov. 15, 2014 | Photo courtesy of the Southern Utah Pacific Islander Coalition, St. George News

“It’s time to make healthier choices and step up our game,” Keanaaina said. “If we can prevent or identify existing cases of COVID through this event, it will be worth it.”

Join SUPIC and their partners – the University of Utah’s Utah Physician Assistant Program, the Utah Food Bank, Dixie State University’s Multicultural and Inclusion Center and TDS Telecom – at their drive-thru health fair on Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon in the Udvar-Hazy parking lot (behind the DSU Institute Building), located at 943 E. 400 South in St. George. For more information, call the chair of the SUPIC Health Committee and event organizer, Kanani Nau, at 435-632-7127 or email info@supic.org

About SUPIC

SUPIC’s mission is to advocate for and empower all Pacific Islanders through programs and referrals that promote health, youth development, education and artistic, ethnic and cultural preservation. SUPIC seeks to fulfill its mission to create and maintain programs that meet the needs of the Pacific Islander community and their families, and to include all residents of Southern Utah.

In addition, it seeks to encourage the extended family love and care that crosses ethnicity, national origins, gender and religious boundaries. SUPIC is a nonprofit organization providing programs of education and scholarships for Washington County students and higher education students, wellness programs which include diabetes, cancer, obesity and fitness and cultural awareness and advocacy to the Southern Utah communities.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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