Fair to Celebrate New Community Health Center

Pacoima residents will get a refresher in health education today during a fair to celebrate the opening of a community health center.

Entertainers, dietitians and other health professionals will be on hand during the fair, which will feature art exhibits, mariachi performances and an Easter egg hunt. The health fair also will provide free diabetes screenings, low-fat foods and lessons on low-fat cooking.

The health fair is being held to address studies showing people are eating less fruits and vegetables and children are becoming more obese.

“Poor diet and physical inactivity cause 14% of California’s preventable deaths,” said Kathy Rumble of Los Angeles Region Project LEAN, a program of the state Department of Health Services, which is hosting the health fair.

Daily servings of fruits and vegetables can reduce risk of cancer, heart attack and stroke, according to the department.

Participants also can celebrate the opening of the Pacoima Urban Village, a community center that will offer education, health and economic development services, said Jorge Lara, the center’s executive director.

The community center will provide referrals to local clinics, register families for state-sponsored health programs and help people fill out health service applications.

It also will offer classes in English as a second language, citizenship and culture, and services such as child care and after-school tutoring.

The fair and grand opening will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Van Nuys Pierce Park apartments, 12700 Van Nuys Blvd., Pacoima. For further information, call Lara at (818) 834-9557.