Approximately 900 area adults and students took advantage of free health screenings and educational resources at the eighth annual Delta Health and Wellness Day held recently on the campus of Delta State University.
The Healthy Campus/Community Initiative in Delta State University’s College of Education hosted the six-hour event inside Walter Sillers Coliseum and other nearby facilities. Delta Health and Wellness Day’s annual health fair offers free screenings, educational resources, and health care access to Mississippi Deltans. This year it featured 39 free health-related testing booths and 52 booths with health and wellness information.
“Delta State and HCCI are committed to serving the community. We are proud of all the vendors that have joined us on this mission of health awareness,” said Katrina N. Taylor, HCCI assistant coordinator.“ We are proud to report that the eighth annual Delta Health and Wellness Day was a success for the Health Campus/Community Initiative team and the Delta State University community. Through the day, nearly 900 registered participants attended the event.”
DHWD included three primary components:
• In the Walter Sillers Coliseum, 361 registered participants received free screenings from health care professionals and non-profit organizations. Other groups hosted display booths to provide information and to explain their services to the public.
• The Kids’ Korner served 280 area fourth grade students who participated in health-related activities and received valuable information on healthy eating, nutrition, exercise, and safety.
• The Teen Zone served 245 area tenth grade students from East Side High School and Cleveland High School. Students participated in a day of fitness activities and healthy eating/thinking/decision-making and positive thinking exercises.
“HCCI plans to expand further across the Delta next year by offering a more diverse set of free screenings and by continuing to raise awareness about health care and services,” said Taylor.
For more information on how you can be a part of Delta Health and Wellness Day in 2013, contact: Katrina N. Taylor, DHWD Planning Committee, at ktaylor@deltastate.edu or (662) 846-4572; or Leigh B. Pickard, DHWD Planning Committee, at lpickard@deltastate.edu or (662) 588-5555.
HCCI operates under Delta State University’s College of Education. The initiative, now in its fourth year, is funded by the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation. Other HCCI programs include Court Street to Cleveland, the C.O.R.E in-school nutrition education, Fit-Tastic Fridays, a mini-conference on health for local educators, OKRA Camp, and nutritional and fitness counseling.
