SAN FRANCISCO – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco (PCGSF), in collaboration with the Philippine Medical Society of Northern California (PMSNC), successfully conducted the first ever “Health Day sa Konsulado” on Thursday, October 28 at the Philippine Center in San Francisco’s Kalayaan Hall.
Almost 100 clients availed themselves of the program’s free health screenings, consultations and referrals during the day-long health fair. Gilead Filipino American Community (GFAC), HealthWays, and the San Francisco Premier Lions Club also joined the five-hour health fair as partners.
In his remarks, Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank R. Ferrer paid tribute to all medical front liners for everything that they have done over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Your countless sacrifices and selfless dedication in serving and healing the sick during the pandemic have made it possible for us to reach this point, where we conduct today’s program in person. Through your efforts, the State of California was able to achieve, thus far, the lowest level of community transmission of COVID-19 in the United States, according to the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention],” Consul General Ferrer said.
The Philippine Consul General further said that “Health Day sa Konsulado” will not be the last project between the Consulate and the PMSNC.
“United by our common mission of serving our fellow Filipinos in northern California and beyond, today’s program surely will not be the last that the Consulate and PMSNC will be jointly working on in making medical services accessible and affordable to our kababayans,” Consul General Ferrer said.
PMSNC President Dr. Thad Padua thanked the Consulate for coming up with new initiatives to service the Filipino American community in the San Francisco Bay Area amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PMSNC provided free medical screenings on blood sugar and cholesterol levels, blood pressure and cholesterol, and educated the public on relevant topics such as COVID-19 vaccines, asthma and other lung diseases, nutrition, and mental wellness.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Premier Lions Club donated 50 free influenza vaccine shots to the public.
The Gilead Filipino American Community offered free consultations on the hepatitis B virus, and tapped the SF HepB Free group to give free hepatitis B tests to the public.
Finally, HealthWays provided free advice and referrals on health insurance coverage in San Mateo County as well as other areas in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The PMSNC is a registered non-profit organization composed of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, technologists, technicians and individuals with non-medical occupations. The organization is represented by the four regions of the Bay Area: San Francisco/San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda/Contra Costa, and Napa/Solano/Monterey.
(PCGSF Release)