Salute to health centers' ‘heroes’

FRANKLIN — U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, will tour and hold a press conference at Teche Action Clinic in Franklin Tuesday to commemorate National Health Center Week.

Dr. Gary Wiltz, chief executive officer of the clinic, said the special focus for this year’s National Health Center Week is a new health center plan to create more health-care homes in the future for the medically underserved and to honor the health care “heroes” at existing health centers today.

“Our health-care heroes at Teche Action Clinic work hard every day at providing people in the community a heath-care home so they can stay healthy and out of hospitals,” Wiltz said.

The clinic will hold a health fair from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, at its site, 1115 Webre St. in Franklin, to celebrate the week. There, people can get free health screenings, including blood pressure, body mass index and dental screenings. There also will be a representative from the Partnership for Prescription Assistance on hand, to teach how certain persons can enroll and obtain free or reduced medicine.

Teche Clinic Executive Assistant Alfreida Edwards, said the clinic also will conduct a voter registration workshop during the health fair.

“National Health Center Week is a time that we set aside not only to recognize the work of health centers, but also to spread the message that America needs to invest in an accessible and affordable community health system that can reduce disparities, improve health and achieve cost savings in health and prevention,” Edwards said.