PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Penn Medicine hosted its third-annual Nurses Community Day on Saturday in celebration of National Nurses Week.
The event ran from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Malcolm X Park. Those who stopped by were able to get free health screenings, learn about preventive health measures for heart disease and diabetes, and gain some life-saving skills like how to administer Narcan and CPR and how to recognize the signs of a stroke.
They also gave away goodies like socks, scrub sets, CPR kits, and food.
“Food insecurity is huge, so we do have some free food giveaways as well,” said Andrea Blount, one of the event coordinators.
Blount said the event dates back to when the COVID-19 pandemic started. It was a way to provide health care services to those in need – especially those without health insurance.
But they decided to keep it around because some neighbors, like Danielle from West Philly, have come to rely on it.
“It is very important, especially [for] people who can't get insurance right now – they can also get that blood pressure checked and everything,” Danielle said.
Bout hopes more opportunities like this will open up in the city.
“Health is important. Especially in our neighborhood. We need more of this,” Bout said.
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