Health Screening Camps: South Houston, TX
SSSIO-USA South Houston, TX, continues their Healthcare Outreach.
The Sri Sathya Sai Center of South Houston, TX, remains dedicated to providing healthcare services to underserved communities. Recently, they organized two successful health screening camps:
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On July 20, 2024, in Houston, TX, in partnership with Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston and the University of Texas Health McGovern Medical School, they served 160 children and adults from the Afghan community.
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On September 29, 2024 in Pearland, TX, they collaborated with New Life Church, to serve 40 local residents.
Both health screening camps began with a universal prayer offered by a group of Sai volunteers. Guests were paired with interpreters and received personalized care based on their needs. They received comprehensive health checks - vital signs such as height, weight, BMI, blood glucose, cholesterol; nutritional guidance, immunizations and one-on-one consultations with on-site physicians. Specialists in dentistry, occupational therapy and optometry were also on hand.
Approximately 30 Sai volunteers, including four doctors, participated in each camp and worked alongside community partners. In Houston, they welcomed the services of residents from the local medical school. Sai volunteers were actively engaged in planning, setup, check-in, registration, assisting in the dentistry and optometry stations, cleanup and interpretation. The enthusiasm and dedication of the Sai volunteers were infectious, as they worked tirelessly until all the needs of the families were met.
Guests also received additional giveaways and resources. At the Houston Camp, each guest received a backpack with a pill organizer, first aid kit, water bottle, and origami crafts with motivational messages. At the Pearland Camp, the New Life Church facilitated connections with organizations like the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Aflac, and MD Anderson for additional resources and information.
Community partners were deeply appreciative of the Sai volunteers and their contribution that ensured the camps ran successfully. Mr. Martin Cominsky, President and CEO of Interfaith Ministries felt overwhelmed with gratitude and expressed his thanks when he witnessed the caring services being provided to refugee families at the Houston camp. The New Hope Church was also appreciative of the active involvement of the Sai volunteers and discussed several opportunities for future collaboration.
These pilot projects were examples of successful SSSIO partnerships and efforts at community outreach. They also model effective assessing of community needs that can better inform future healthcare initiatives by the Sri Sathya Sai Center of South Houston.