HATTIESBURG, Mississippi (WDAM) – Hundreds of Hattiesburg residents and medical professionals gathered for a community health event to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month on Saturday.

Held at Hub City’s East Side Park, the inaugural “Hispanic Festival” featured music, food and free health checks.

Organizers say their goal is to reach out to the Hispanic community and ensure they have access to the medical options available to them.

“Basically, I’m not saying it’s just for the Hispanic community, it’s for everyone, knowing their health, knowing their numbers, and this is what we do for this event. It was the perfect time to host the Shine Project and the Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative.

“We Hispanics don’t get checked every year, every month, etc. It’s necessary and we have to. So we can let them know we’re here.” You all benefit, you are important to us “as well,” said Edith Fuentes, community health worker and interpreter at SEMRHI.

The festival was co-hosted by the Southeastern Mississippi Rural Health Initiative and the MS Shine Project.

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