TULSA, Okla. – Support programs for area Native children and families will be on display Thursday afternoon at a midtown Tulsa clinic.
The Indian Health Care Resource Center is hosting a family resource fair from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at its main clinic, located at 550 S. Peoria Ave. March 7. Open to the public, the event will feature representatives from Big Brothers Big Sisters, Community Action Project, Tulsa Community College, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma and Cherokee Nation WIC. Additionally, representatives from SoonerCare, Oklahoma’s government-subsidized heath insurance program for low-income individuals and families, will be there to enroll families on site. Entertainment will also be on hand for parents who bring their children with them.
“We’re just trying to make parents’ lives a little easier while making sure they know about all the resources available to them,” center staff member Jennifer Hamma said. “We work with a lot of families that are in transition who have never needed these resources before and don’t necessarily know about all the program options that are out there.”
In-house staff will also be present to discuss diabetes and how to prevent it, immunizations and healthy start programs offered by the clinic.
A 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, the Indian Health Care Resource Center offers medical care, health education, pharmacy services, optometry, dental care and behavioral health services to members of any federally recognized tribe and their children who live in the Tulsa area.
“It is our hope that our patients and the Native community come away with something valuable from today and take it home with them,” Hamma said. “That’s our overall objective with this event: that everyone learn something.”