UIC is cosponsoring a Latino Community Health Fair. Among the free services available will be screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, vision and podiatry. Participants will receive health information and a guide to community resources.

Friday, March 23 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Greater Lawn Community Youth Network 6545 S. Springfield Chicago, Ill.

UIC ¡Sí Se Puede! (Yes We Can!) Diabetes Prevention and Control Project, Southwest Youth Collaborative, Greater Lawn Community Youth Network and Latino Organization of the Southwest.

Like most newly emerging Latino communities, West Lawn and Chicago Lawn lack health care services that address the specific needs of the new residents, said Susan Levy, professor of public health and director of UIC's Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Center.

The Latino Community Health Fair is part of a comprehensive community education and capacity-building program to prevent and control health risks, particularly diabetes and the myriad conditions associated with this illness.

¡Sí Se Puede! or Yes we Can! is the name of the program that UIC and its community partners developed to help stem the diabetes epidemic in a specific Chicago neighborhood. ¡Sí Se Puede! offers school-based health promotion and education programs to youth and diabetes education programs, walking clubs and nutrition classes to adults.

The program aims to build the community's health infrastructure to meet Latino health needs; educate community members about the signs and symptoms of diabetes; send a clear message that diabetes is preventable and controllable and that simple lifestyle changes can bring about significant health improvements. The Latino Community Health Fair provides community members with an opportunity to protect their health at no cost.

For more information about ¡Sí Se Puede!, call 413-9443.