ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington’s second annual Breast Cancer Awareness Health Fair is scheduled to take place Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bob Duncan Center.

The event is free and open to the public, and mobile health clinics will be providing mammograms, well-woman exams and prostate screenings on-site.

City Council District 3 Rep. Nikkie Hunter, whose background is in healthcare management, said she was inspired to host the first health fair last year when she realized how many women were missing their annual mammograms because of COVID-19.

“I started by talking with Texas Health Resources about their mobile unit,” Hunter said. “Then before I knew it, I was connecting with other hospitals around DFW, and the health fair was born.”

Hunter said last year’s fair had around 500 visitors, and this year she’s expecting even more.

While the event is centered on Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the health fair on Friday will also offer flu shots, A1C tests and prostate screenings.

“Last year I noticed a lot of husbands were coming to support their wives, but I didn’t have anything for men,” Hunter said. “This year, I was able to get a mobile unit to do free prostate screenings. So bring your husband, brother, uncle, cousin, whoever—I want men to know that prostate screenings are just as important as mammograms.”

Hunter said she hopes the Breast Cancer Awareness Health Fair will continue to grow every year, and eventually she plans to host more events focused on other health conditions like diabetes.

“As much as I can, I want to use my spot on the city council to get the word out that screening saves lives,” Hunter said.

Exams at the mobile clinics will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so Arlington residents who are interested are encouraged to pre-register online before Friday’s event.