On Friday, July 21, the Louisiana Department of Health -- Office of Public Health and Center for Community Preparedness will kick off "Operation Prepare," an effort to deliver critical disaster preparation, evacuation and health information to the storm-affected communities of the New Orleans area.

Operation Prepare will launch tomorrow with a "Hurricane Preparedness and Health Fair" at the Iberville Housing Development in downtown New Orleans on Bienville Street.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., three mobile public health units and one mobile immunization van will be set up on the perimeter of the Iberville development, providing free general health information and screenings, copies of the Office of Public Health's Family Readiness Guide, immunizations, and health counseling and referrals.

In addition, volunteer teams made up of nurses, social workers, sanitarians and other LDH/OPH staff and area college students will go door to door, handing out packets of information on disaster readiness and general health.

The health screenings that will be offered during Operation Prepare include blood pressure checks and finger stick tests for diabetes.

For more information on Operation Prepare, contact Adrian Boutin, Regional Social Worker with the Office of Public Health, at 504-599-0100 or aboutin@dhh.la.gov.

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