The OIC Family Medical Center will celebrate National Health Center Week with a community event themed “It’s A Family Affair” at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the OIC Community Health Education Center at 1060 Pinehurst Drive in the Weeks Armstrong Homes community. The event is scheduled from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm.

“OIC is proud to be recognized as a part of a nationwide network of community health centers that are bringing quality and affordable care to at-risk, economically challenged communities,” OIC Board Chairwoman Genotre J. Penny-Boone said. “This celebration highlights some of the great work that our OIC team brings to Rocky Mount every day.”

The OIC mobile unit team and healthcare professionals from area community health centers will provide free health screenings such as blood pressure and blood glucose checks, HIV testing, general physical exams and dental screenings for children and adolescents. Immunizations will be provided for children who are Medicaid patients. Medicaid cards must be provided to receive free services.

“We hope that our community will come to celebrate with us. We plan to have fun, learn more about healthy living and listen to our community to see what other gaps in services are needed,” OIC President and CEO Reuben Blackwell said. “We’ve invited some of our statewide partners, funders and legislators to see the success that they have helped create and to recognize that even more is needed to address the tremendous health challenges that our residents face.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., is scheduled to visit the OIC Family Medical Center at 111 S. Fairview Road at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

“Senator Burr recognizes that community health centers play an important role in providing critical primary care services for communities across North Carolina,” Blackwell said. “He responded to our invitation to join us in our celebrations and decided to actually pay us a personal visit to see the work that we do every day.”

For more information about the week’s events, call Karen Whitaker at 252-544-2049.