Community avails of mobile clinic services

A woman, right, waits for her turn to get her blood tested in last Saturday’s Mobile Clinic organized by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Commonwealth Health Center Corp. (Jon Perez)

Close to 100 individuals availed of the free services offered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Commonwealth Health Center Corp. The mobile clinic is part of MCHB’s 360 for Your Health for the Women’s Health Month.

MCHB administrator TaAnn Kabua said while the services offered are mostly for women, they also encouraged the entire family to avail of the services.

“This is second year and is part of the Women’s Health Month celebration. We target women but families are also welcome to avail some of the services,” she said.

Most of the women who attended last Saturday’s event had their flu shots also administered at CHCC. A lot also availed of the free diabetes screening and blood pressure test.

Breast and cervical cancer screenings, diabetes and anemia screenings, family planning, pregnancy test, and domestic and sexual assault counseling are the other services offered.

Kabua said they still have a number of activities to be held in commemoration of the Women’s Health Month. A women’s fit and wellness class will be held on Thursday in collaboration with Latte Built fitness instructor and nutrition expert Derek Cutting.

Aside from teaching various exercises, female participants will also have the chance to learn about nutrition and other healthy choices.

An interesting event of the Women’s Health Month is the Walk In Our Shoes one-mile race on May 27 at the Garapan Fishing Base. Male participants will carry a 20-lb sack of rice to experience pregnancy. The first 20 to cross the finish line will win a prize.

MCHB officials are also thanking Joseph Caranto, who has been giving free Zumba classes at the Garapan Central Park as part of their promotion of having a healthy lifestyle.

Also, in a recent story about the family planning services part of MCHB’s programs, it was reported that there’s no available data on teen pregnancy in the CNMI that is higher than the national rate.

MCHB has statistics but Kabua and project coordinator Heather Pangelinan just did not have the information when they were the special guests of the Rotary Club of Saipan a few weeks ago.

MCHB said that they have been tracking the information as part of their report as a requirement by federal grantors.

They have also dropped the coconut husking, grinding, and throwing events in the Island Sportsfest on May 28.