LOS ANGELES: Homeless Receive Medical Care at 4th Annual Fair
More than 1,000 homeless Los Angeleans flocked to the three-block "skid row" surrounding 5th and San Pedro Streets yesterday for "a spirited festival of sorts, with live music, balloons festooning San Julian Park, and lines of people at canopied booths." Health care providers from across the country were on hand to test the homeless for HIV, tuberculosis, breast and prostate cancer, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, diabetes and even hearing loss and dental health. They also dispensed referrals and other relevant information. Rogelio Stone of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, one of the co-sponsors of the 4th annual Fair for the Homeless, said, "The message we want to convey is that we care." He also noted that the fair yields valuable statistics that serve as a "barometer" of the health status of the city's homeless (Liu, Los Angeles Times, 6/10).
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