CalOptima, in partnership with OCDE, recently hosted its annual Back-to-School Health and Wellness Fair at Columbus Tustin Park to provide a variety of free school equipment and services to students as they prepare for the new school year. (Courtesy of CalOptima) 
Representatives from OCDE’s Inside the Outdoors environmental education program, Tobacco-Use Education Prevention program and Homeless Outreach Promoting Educational Success (HOPES) Collaborative were in attendance, providing resources. 
CalOptima, in partnership with OCDE, recently hosted its annual Back-to-School Health and Wellness Fair at Columbus Tustin Park to provide a variety of free school equipment and services to students as they prepare for the new school year.
The event gave out an abundance of supplies, including 1,500 backpacks, 500 bike helmets, over 4,500 shoes, 1,000 food boxes and 106 cases of diapers. Services such as haircuts, sports physicals and vision and dental screenings were also offered. With more than 5,000 attendees — a record for CalOptima Health-hosted events — all available supplies found new homes by the end of the day.
Additionally, parents had the opportunity to enroll in Medi-Cal for low-cost health insurance and CalFresh for financial assistance to purchase high-quality, healthy food. Resources for mental health and individuals with disabilities were also made available.
After collecting supplies and accessing various services, families could explore the park and visit a number of informational booths from community-based organizations throughout Orange County, such as the Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove and the Orange County Transportation Authority. Four elected officials were also present to engage with the community, including U.S. Congressmen Correa, U.S. Congresswoman Kim, CA Assemblywoman Petri-Norris and OC Supervisor Sarmiento.
Representatives from OCDE’s Inside the Outdoors environmental education program, Tobacco-Use Education Prevention program and Homeless Outreach Promoting Educational Success (HOPES) Collaborative were in attendance, providing resources. The department expressed its gratitude for the event and the collective effort that made it possible.
“We are grateful for this county wide collaboration to support the health and well-being of our students and families, and we look forward to seeing all our students show up prepared on the first day of school,” said Janis Price, OCDE’s family and community engagement coordinator.
CalOptima and OCDE hope to have the same impact on students for years to come.