| LITTLE ROCK — Residents of South Arkansas are invited to attend a free Family Education Night on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of El Dorado, located at 1201 Northwest Ave.
The event, hosted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation and the ACTIVE Coalition, will feature an evening of learning, community connections and family fun — all at no cost to attendees.
At 6 p.m., the institute will lead a parent education session titled “Vaping: What Parents Should Know.” The presentation, conducted by tobacco cessation interventionist Chandra Hicks, will help parents and caregivers understand the risks of vaping and how to talk with children about making healthy choices. Participants attending the session will receive a $25 virtual gift card.
The UAMS Mobile Health Unit will also be on-site offering HPV education and vaccinations, helping families protect their children’s long-term health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can cause cancers later in life. HPV is very common, with about 13 million people, including teenagers, becoming infected each year in the U.S.
Along with the education session, the ACTIVE Coalition will host a Community Resource Fair featuring more than 30 local vendors providing information, resources and support for families in Union County. Local nonprofits will offer children’s activities so parents can visit vendors and connect with resources, and a free meal will be served to all attendees.
“The goal of this event is to bring services together from multiple groups so families can easily access them all in one place,” said Jill Temple, outreach manager for the institute. “We want parents and guardians to leave feeling supported and more aware of the community resources available to them.”
To learn more about the Institute for Community Health Innovation, visit communityhealth.uams.edu.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.
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