'Big Bus' health fair brings services, information to Immokalee

After Hurricane Irma ruined last year’s plans, the Florida Department of Health in Collier County brought back the free "Big Bus" health fair to Immokalee on Saturday.

The event featured buses from organizations such as the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Immokalee Fire Rescue and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile. Representatives from about 80 organizations attended the event, too.

The "Big Bus" event is the brainchild of Mark Lemke, the Immokalee Division director with the Florida Department of Health of Collier County.

“Immokalee is a very hardworking community, but they don’t have access to the services I’d say the rest of the county does,” Lemke said. “To me, it was important to bring everything to the community.”

Services included flu vaccinations, dental screenings, pediatric EKGs, child fingerprinting through the Sheriff’s Office and mammograms, Lemke said.

David Soldano, veteran outreach programs specialist with the Naples Vet Center, represented his organization, emphasizing the importance of community outreach to raise awareness of the kinds of services organizations like his offer.

“It’s more than just medical,” he said.

Frankie Vilo and Maliah Casarez, both of Immokalee, weren’t new to the event; each had attended before. They enjoyed seeing community residents out and about, coming together and learning more about their health care options.

“I like how they do events for this community,” Casarez said.

Rose Louis, of Naples, said it was her first time at the event. She brought her Immokalee-based mom to the event.

“I love it,” Louis said. “I never knew the community had that much support.”

Andrea Kuzbyt and Patrick Peck, a health educator and environmental health manager, respectively, of the Seminole Tribe, ran their tent to raise awareness about diabetes and environmental health hazards such as mosquitoes and mold in the home.

“I’m so impressed with the collaboration,” Kuzbyt said. “It’s such a diverse community.”

The crowd — Lemke estimated prior to the event that 2,000 would attend despite last year’s cancellation — was a diverse one. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that as of July 2017, about 74 percent of the community was Hispanic or Latino, and about 20 percent was black or African-American.

The event happened in concurrence with Ciclovia Immokalee, an event where a street becomes car-free for community members to exercise and meet each other.

“All the organizations participating really make the event,” Lemke said.

Avow, a nonprofit hospice and palliative medicine organization serving Collier County, also had one of its two annual butterfly release ceremonies.

Annalise Smith, senior vice president of engagement for Avow, said the organization was there to build awareness.

The butterfly tent was a way for people to heal, Smith said. Individuals often will go into the tent and a butterfly might land on them, or a person might feel a butterfly is the spirit of a loved one who has died.

The butterfly is a symbol not only of hospice care, Smith said, but of rebirth and regeneration, too. When the butterflies are released, it’s a way for people to release and respect the memory of a departed loved one.

The "Big Bus" event is a way for people to learn more about their health, Lemke said.

“We’re all still part of Collier County, and we do what we can to promote health for everybody,” he said.