Otterbein United Methodist Church Hosts Free Back-to-School Community Health Clinic

Otterbein United Methodist Church is hosting a free, open-to-the-public community health clinic for children, teens and their families from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at its Lancaster city location, 20 E. Clay St. The event, titled the early Back-to-School Community Health Clinic, is a partnership with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.

The clinic will offer a range of services, including eye exams, blood pressure checks, free haircuts, children’s activities, Children’s Health Insurance Program information, immigration clinic information, lead safety resources, car seat and bicycle safety information, brain safety and helmet education, fire safety in the home, nutrition information, an optional prayer station and free lunch. The event is first-come, first-served, and organizers encourage participants to register at otterbeinlancaster.org/Clinic. Spanish translators will be on hand.

Otterbein’s pastor, the Rev. Chris Eden, said the health clinic came about due to several factors. “This clinic came together through a convergence of calling and timing,” Eden said. “Otterbein has long partnered with others for the good of the community, including more recently through the Clay Street (Low Barrier Emergency) shelter, so that heart for partnership was already part of who we are.”

Through meeting LG Health personnel at the shelter, receiving a grant from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church and accepting help from a youth mission team at Christ United Methodist Church in Lansdale, Montgomery County, the clinic took shape, Eden said. In addition to LG Health and Christ United Methodist in Lansdale, participating organizations include: KA Cutz, VisionCorps, Capital Blue Cross, Parish Resource Center, Center for Traffic Safety, Lumina Outreach, Pilot Club of Central Pennsylvania and Lancaster Bureau of Fire.

Participants should enter through the church parking lot entrance on Christian Street. The community health clinic is the first such clinic Otterbein has hosted, but organizers hope to hold similar community events in the future for shelter guests, people needing employment help or children.

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