Florida Keys Health Fairs

The Florida Keys Health Fairs, or FKHF for short, are a series of medical student-run screening and prevention health fairs coordinated throughout the Florida Keys. The fairs are planned, coordinated, and implemented by the Department of Community Service of the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. In 2007, FKHF will occur on Saturday, January 27 at sites in Marathon, Big Pine, and Key West.

History

The Florida Keys Health Fairs has provided free health care to the residents of the Florida Keys and South Dade for over 30 years.

First established in 1970 by Ms. Iris Keim, a resident of Big Pine Key and a retired professor of Family Medicine and Epidemiology & Public Health, FKHF recognized the necessity of addressing the medical and educational needs of the underserved population residing in Monroe County.

Over the years, this annual event has come to provide many health services, at free or reduced cost, to residents of South Florida who are unable to access routine medical care. Medical students screen for the most prevalent diseases in these communities including: hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, vision loss, obesity, depression, hepatitis, and thyroid problems as well as colon, breast, cervical, and skin cancers. Using a referral system of free clinics, the fairs act as a portal for entry to care for those patients identified to be at risk. All of these services, offered to children and adults, are provided by medical students, under the direct supervision of volunteer physicians.

Currently, the Florida Keys Health Fairs has provided needed services to Big Pine Key, Marathon, and Key West.