Child Health Services at the Illinois State Fair – NBC Chicago

Springfield – Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will provide various health and safety services during 2023 Illinois State Fair in Springfield, including free vaccinations, physicals, and dental checkups for school-aged children.

IDPH will also be distributing gun locks as part of its ongoing partnership with the Illinois State Police (ISP) to keep guns safe in the state.

The fair will run from August 10-20, and IDPH staff will be available each day of the fair at the IDPH booth located on the east side of the annex, at the booth at the Illinois Building, and at the booth at Conservation World. . The tent and kiosks will be open from 10:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and from 10:00 to 16:00 on weekends during the fair.

It should be noted that vaccinations and health screenings will be provided with Mobile Care Chicago and are available free of charge to school-aged children, whether or not they have health insurance, according to IDPH. These services will be available at the Illinois Building booth on Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm both days.

Under Illinois law, health screenings are required when entering kindergarten or first grade, sixth grade, and ninth grade, or when entering a new school, regardless of grade level. You can find information about vaccination requirements here.

Dental exams are also available free of charge for school-aged children and will be held Tuesday, August 15 and Friday, August 18 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm both days, and at the IDPH booth in the Illinois Building.

Throughout the state fair, IDPH will also be providing free weapon locks on its marquees and booths. The US Department of Veterans Affairs provided gun locks to IDPH as part of both agencies’ commitments to ensure firearms safety, IDPH said. “The purpose of the IDPH/ISP program, “Together for a Safer Illinois”is to make gun locks easily accessible as a means of preventing tragedies such as unintentional shootings, gun violence, gun theft and suicide,” IDPH said in a statement.

The locks include installation instructions for self-loading pistols, revolvers, self-loading and pump-action shotguns, bolt-action rifles, modern sporting rifles, and single-action revolvers. The locks also come with information about National 988 Crisis Management and Suicide Prevention Hotline. IDPH has stated that no information will be collected from those who receive the castle at the fair.

Brochures and other information about the wide range of public health services provided by the agency will also be offered at the IDPH tent and kiosks during business hours. Information about job opportunities in the department will also be available.