NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, TX (KTRE) -
Educating East Texas families is top priority for the Nacogdoches Headstart team. Headstart is focused on providing low income families with resources for education, food and health.
"Now they'll know where to go in the community to find people who can help them with their children and with themselves," said Della Connor, SFA nursing faculty.
Many Headstart families don't have insurance and visits to the emergency room start to add up.
"Especially now with the economy as bad as it is, people are having to choose between eating and going to the doctor," said Conner.
Headstart is offering an alternative, a book called "What to Do When My Child Gets Sick."
"Well the main benefit they are going to get from this is they are going to have something they can physically take home to refer back," said Connor.
Volunteers from SFA demonstrated the Heimlich maneuver and CPR.
"They'll be receiving the tools needed also to take care of their children," said Maria Mercado, Headstart health specialist.
Another exhibit explained how similarities between everyday house hold items could be fatal.
Single parent, Ronnie Broadway says all the information was essential.
"You learn stuff you don't know, anytime she gets in a jam I might be able to help her out a bit faster," said Broadway.
If enough people adopt these new alternatives everybody wins.
"It will help the community with spending less tax dollars," said Mercado.
"It will help our community too because we won't be clogging up the ER," said Connor.
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