In honor of National Health Center Week, Healthy Connections Community Health Network will be providing free podiatry foot screenings at the Eleanor Klugh Jackson House, 705 Malvern Ave., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday.
According to a news release, the event is made possible by Healthy Connections and Ambetter of Arkansas. Podiatrist Richard Bennett will perform the screenings in observance of the homeless population's frequent issues with diabetes and disorders of the feet.
Bennett practiced for more than 25 years in downtown Chicago and performs comprehensive diabetic foot exams and educates patients on how best to manage their condition, the release said. He diagnoses and treats basic foot conditions such as heel and arch pain, manages orthopedic deformities surgically and conservatively, performs office surgery for ingrown nails, abscesses, warts, and other skin lesions.
"Every day for lunch we serve over 180 people, and this does not include all the other ways we help, too," Tammy Jones, representative of the Jackson House and event organizer, said. "Any time we can partner with businesses or organizations to provide free services during our lunch time where it's convenient to serve as many people as possible, we're excited to do it."
Jones said Monday's lunch will be provided by Scott McClard of McClard's Bar-B-Q, and tents will be set up providing free toiletry kits, nonperishable meal boxes and offering opportunities for people to sign up for health insurance, among other services.
"And these screenings are for anyone," she said. "It's not just for our homeless population, although the reason we're doing this on Monday is because during National Health (Center) Week, Monday actually focuses on the homeless."
Jones said the Jackson House tries to do at least one health event similar to this each year, but the organization is open to partnerships that would allow for more opportunities to serve the community throughout the year.
"We would have a special day like this every day if we could," she said.
According to the release, Healthy Connections is a Mena-based nonprofit Community Health Network serving the needs of children and adults throughout west-central Arkansas.
"Since its founding in 1998 as a home-visiting program, Healthy Connections has been able to provide much-needed health, dental and social services to families of every lifestyle," the release said.
Community health centers serve 28 million patients across the United States, a number that continues to grow along with the demand for affordable health care. These centers reach beyond the walls of conventional medicine to address the social determinants of health affecting special patient populations, it said.
Healthy Connections offers same-day appointments, convenient before and after work appointments, and accepts all insurances, including Medicaid, ARKids 1st, and Medicare.
Call 888-710-8220 or visit http://www.healthy-connections.org, for more information.
Local on 08/03/2019