Florida A&M University (FAMU) Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI) invites the public to the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium’s (PAEC) Bi-National Health Fair and Hispanic Heritage Celebration in Quincy on Saturday.
The health fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at 315 N. Key St., Quincy. The event is free and open to the public. It will include medical and dental exams, information booths, health screenings for diabetes and blood pressure and many other services. Mexican Consulate services will also be provided.
PAEC helps small school districts with limited resources to better serve children, teachers, and administrators. The organization serves 14-member districts, representing over 45,000 students, as well as many other non-member districts.
Maria Pouncey, Ed.D., administrator for the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium, said she appreciates the effort being made by MMERI to reach out to all of Florida’s diverse minority communities.
“It is important for both English and Spanish speakers to know that they are included in the discussion,” Pouncey said. “Our families are gratified that MMERI has consistently made the effort to understand, engage and include concerns that are particular to the LatinX community and as such, also impact the lives of all of Florida communities of color.”
“Es importante que los hablantes de inglés y español sepan que están incluidos en la discusión. Nuestras familias están agradecidas de que MMERI se haya esforzado constantemente por comprender, involucrar e incluir las preocupaciones que son particulares de la comunidad de LatinX y, como tal, también afectan la vida de todas las comunidades de color de la Florida.”
MMERI Interim Executive Director Patricia Green-Powell, Ph.D., said reaching the Hispanic community is one of MMERI’s core objectives in informing Florida’s diverse communities about medical marijuana and the impact of unlawful marijuana.
“We are honored to have been invited to bring this critical information to the Hispanic community through this important health forum. Our information is provided in both English and Spanish because we know that this is the best way to make certain that everyone is getting the information and we will continue to go wherever we are needed to educate and inform.”
The MMERI was launched in response to the Florida Legislature’s funding allocation to educate “minorities about marijuana for medical use and the impact of the unlawful use of marijuana on minority communities.”
