HARLINGEN — Thanks to free health services this week, Priscilla Coronado’s three daughters are now cleared for athletics.
“I would have had to go to the doctor, make an appointment,” she said, her quick sigh illustrating the hassle anyone feels at such a thought.
She was leaving with her children Thursday after having them screened at an event coordinated by Operation Border Health Preparedness 2022.
The event at the Harlingen School for Health Professions opened Monday and continues through Saturday with a variety of free health services.
Robert Tamez, public information officer for the event, presented the various vendors – there were about 15 of them – spread out through the school’s common area.
“Here we offer vitals, vision and hearing,” he said, gesturing at the various stations which also included a vaccine area and a location to check glucose levels.
“This exercise is put on by the Texas Department of State Health Services and local and nonprofit partners,” Tamez said.
Cameron County was hosting two locations, one at HSHP and the other at Pace High School in Brownsville.
Thursday was also a special VIP Day for officials from throughout the Valley and the rest of Texas gathering to hear speakers on various health related topics.
“I just talked about Operation Border Health Preparedness, its importance to the community and the importance of partnerships that it builds, and to the health of the community,” said Kirk Cole, deputy commissioner, Department of State Health Services.
“I told them how Operation Border Health Preparedness prepared them for things like the pandemic, like zika,” he said. “They all know one another, how to work together, what they need to do.”
Zika is a virus spread by a species of mosquito.
Many attendees, speakers and coordinators pointed out the importance of partners to ensure the health of border communities.
“This is also being held in other counties along the border in Laredo, Starr County, Hidalgo and Willacy counties,” said Esmeralda Guajardo, Cameron County Health Administrator.
“It’s been going on since 1999,” she said. “This serves as an exercise for preparedness. I think one of the things that we’ve recognized is that this has come in handy like in terms of COVID response. So, we’ll provide mass vaccination clinics and we’re already familiar with the parties that we need to contact.”
Through such exercises, local entities already have well-rehearsed plans in place.
“It allows us to prepare for that event whether it’s just locally or across the border,” Guajardo said. “We already have relationships with public health in Mexico or here.”
Harlingen Superintendent Alicia Noyola called the VIP session a “celebration” of the work of Operation Border Health Preparedness.
“My comments to the group were about the importance of preparation,” she said. “We never quite know the crises we will deal with, so the way that we are best able to deal with this is we focus on the area of preparedness and practicing and exercising. And so that’s what Border Health Preparedness is all about.”
The event at HSHP continues to offer services Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
