A large crowd gathered at the historic Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana for a health fair organized by UCI Health’s Interprofessional Education & Practice Collaborative. The event, which took place on April 7, offered free health screenings for cholesterol, vision, blood sugar, and other vitals to hundreds of attendees. In addition to the screenings, the fair provided nutrition counseling, educational booths, and various resources to the community.
The health fair was the brainchild of Nana Entsuah-Boateng, an assistant professor of clinical pharmacy practice at UC Irvine, and Stephanie Au, an assistant clinical professor of nursing. The event was the first of its kind and is hoped to become an annual occurrence. A team of 55 UCI Health members, including medical, nursing, pharmacy, and public health students volunteered at the fair. Recruiting volunteers was a breeze as the sign-up sheet was nearly full within minutes of being posted.
The primary objectives of the health fair were to assist disadvantaged and at-risk residents in improving their health by connecting them with free resources and to expose UCI Health students to charitable work. The event achieved both goals successfully with positive feedback from participants and organizers alike. Overall, the fair was deemed a major success in promoting health and community involvement.
