Healthy Beginnings holds 12-point inspection

Healthy Beginnings holds 18 screening events each year for children age 5 and younger. The 12-point inspection looks at everything from vision to behavior skills. In the past year,

Healthy Beginnings, a “21 Cares for Kids” partner, has assessed nearly 700 children in Central Oregon this year alone.

“Kids don’t come home with an instruction booklet,” donor relation specialist at Healthy Beginnings Angela Saraceno said at Friday’s screening event. “We’re here to provide that extra service in all areas of the child’s wellness and development.”

Healthy Beginnings saw 117 dental concerns last year. Dental is just one station of the 12-point inspection screenings. There are no income requirements for screenings, and volunteers provide help during these events.

“To be able to pick up kids at an early age, and to remediate problems and to get them on the right track as quickly as possible ends up being a life-saver and a money-saver,” said retired pediatrician and current Healthy Beginnings volunteer Paul Shales.

Also on Friday, Dutch Bros. of Central Oregon donated $1 of every drink to Healthy Beginnings for Buck for Kids Day.

“We’ve gotten to partner with them in the past at many other fun events,” co-owner at Dutch Bros. Kaelyn Costa said. “This time, we had this extra opportunity available to partner with them, and we thought, why not? They’re a great organization that we already support and why not help them out a little more.”

For more information on screenings or to find out how you can help, visit www.myhb.org