Staying Healthy

There’s often live music. A community- wide picnic. Dancing in the streets. And plenty of conversation. Who ever thought finding out about health issues could be fun?

It’s important to learn about how to keep yourself healthy. That’s why Independent Sector colleges and universities are sharing their knowledge and caring skills with local communities. They’re holding health fairs that are free and open to the public, so that more people in New York State are receiving routine screenings and getting up-to-date information about current health issues. In an upcoming issue: No-cost or low-cost clinics on Independent Sector campuses offer health services.

Health fairs in every shape and form.

The “Harlem Health Fair,”co-sponsored by New York College of Podiatric Medicine, has become an annual event. The fair, held in conjunction with other local businesses and health facilities, invites Harlem and Bronx residents for screenings and straight talk about diabetes mellitus, nutrition, prostrate cancer, children’s health, domestic violence, H.I.V., and other health topics.

Students at Cochran School of Nursing participate in Yonkers Elementary School Health Fair Days, as well as local “Blood Pressure Screening”and “Diabetes Screening”days.

Senior nursing students at Wagner College bring their clinical experience to the streets of the city, assisting at a health fair in Brooklyn, talking to Staten Island adolescents about the risks of alcohol and smoking, and providing hearing tests for grammar school students.

Long Island College Hospital School of Nursing sponsors the “Atlantic Antic,”Brooklyn’s largest street fair that promotes health awareness.

The Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University teamed up with Brooklyn Hospital Medical Center, The Committee for the Preservation of Fort Greene Park, and Pfizer, Inc. to host the first annual Fort Greene Park Health Fair. Along with health, fitness, and sports screenings, the event drew crowds with a community picnic and live music.

Dominican College is making for a healthier community with an annual health fair, now in its eighth year. The fair, organized with local hospitals and health care agencies, offers a full day of activities and information on subjects from allergies to fitness to nutrition.

The Nursing Club of St. Joseph’s College conducts free health fairs with blood pressure screening and sessions on alternative therapies.

Each spring, more than 100 students from St. Elizabeth College of Nursing hold a day-long health fair at a local mall, providing adults with blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, body fat analysis, and mental health screenings.

Every year for the past 10 years, The Culinary Institute of America has held a “Wellness Expo”on campus, inviting health care groups to participate.

St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center is supporting local families with its “Making Life Better for Families Fair.”Students from the School of Nursing provide blood pressure checks and diabetic screening.

“New Millennium, New Health, New You”was the topic of The College of New Rochelle’s 14th annual health fair. The fair features exhibits and lectures on diabetes, AIDS, Lyme disease, and CPR, plus free screenings for hypertension, vision, hearing, and cholesterol.

In Newburgh, Mount Saint Mary College has held a free “Health and Wellness Fair”for the past seven years. Participants receive health screenings as well as information on exercise, substance abuse, Alzheimer’s disease, stress, holistic care, and weight control.