Keeping Northeastern Healthy
This year’s 11th Annual Bouvé Health Fair was hosted by Phi Delta Chi, a professional pharmacy fraternity, in collaboration with the School of Pharmacy, School of Nursing, Northeastern PA program, and Northeastern University Emergency Medical Services. At this always-popular event, students offered a number of prevention-related activities, encouraging the Northeastern community to stay healthy. The fair provided free flu shots, featured health screening stations for blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose, and included health information booths run by various student organizations within the Bouvé College. Attendees were able to learn more about the topics of diabetes, malnutrition, benefits of vaccinations, exercise, preconception/reproductive health, alcohol, drugs, antibiotics, mental health and smoking cessation to name a few.
Pharmacy, Nursing, and Physician Assistant students came together to help administer flu shots and manage the health screenings, emphasizing inter-professionalism within healthcare. This year the Northeastern Emergency Medical Services team joined to help demonstrate CPR. Vaccinations are key in preventing disease and leading healthy lifestyles, so holding this event to educate and serve the Northeastern community is very impactful. As Huiling Zhao, a third professional year (P3) pharmacy student and lead organizer commented, “it is vital that people receive their flu vaccines to maintain a healthy community as the flu virus changes every season and students live in close quarters.”
Statistics-wise, the fair welcomed nearly 4,000 attendees, gave out 2,975 free flu shots, and collected 60 units of donated blood. Some of the giveaways were hand sanitizers, stress balls, mini first aid kits, and food. Phi Delta Chi hosted three classes: Zumba, Yoga, and CPR, to promote exercise and lifesaving techniques in the case of emergencies. Overall, it was a wonderful event to host and the professional pharmacy fraternity cannot wait until the next health fair!