An important health fair is taking place at UCCI’s Sir Vassell Johnson Hall this Wednesday 14th June from 9am to 3pm and everyone who wants to get their health checks should attend. Ralph Lewis, Publisher of the Caymanian Times, spoke with Jada White, first year nursing student, Lecturer Josene Brown, and Director of the UCCI’s School of Nursing Quida Johnson-Shirley about this event which promises to be valuable for the entire community.
The health fair, which first took place last year, is organised by first-year student nurses at the School of Nursing as a part of their Health Promotion class. There are currently 33 students in the Nursing programme, 12 of which are first-year students.
“They learn how to promote health in the community; they learn about the different ways in which to promote health. The students are then just executing what they have learnt,” Ms Johnson-Shirley advised.
Students were assigned different roles and supervised by Ms Brown. This year’s health fair promises to be bigger than last year’s and is a part of the School of Nursing 10th anniversary celebrations.
Ms Brown said people can expect to register upon arrival so that they can be part of a draw for a final grand prize and at entry they will collect their health screening cards.
Ms White said that as a first-year student she had been part of the organisation of the event, which will include presentations such as one on health food alternatives. Other presentations on mental health and vaping will also take place. Nordia England-Prout, Programme Director School of Hospitality at UCCI, will be the host for the day.
Students will have their own booth displaying fun activities and second year students will be assisting in the screenings.
Eighteen exhibitors will be presenting at each booth. They include: the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service; Health Services Authority; UCCI Hospitality Department; Student Life; Department of Environmental Health; Optimist Club; Jasmine; AIDs Foundation; Alex Panton Foundation; UCCI SON; UCCI Nursing Students; Cayman Islands Cancer Society; National Drug Council; Lions Club of Tropical Gardens; HCCI Health City Cayman Islands; ADACI – Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association Cayman Islands; Revolutions Spin Studio; and Cayman Career Academy.
Know your numbers
Event-goers will get the chance to have the following screenings: Body Max Index; blood pressure; blood glucose; cholesterol and hearing.
Ms Brown said screening was important.
“You want to know what your numbers are so that you can prevent yourself from getting sick in the long run,” she advised.
“And also, if you’re not sick, your numbers will tell if you’re healthy and so you can stay healthy or healthier,” Ms Johnson-Shirley added.
“Results will be available immediately and we have personalised it so people will get a little card with all their information on it,” Ms Brown advised.
The organisers said that while screening was important for older people, they also wanted to encourage young people to attend and get screened, because they had lifestyle factors such as getting too little sleep, eating unhealthy foods, being overweight and vaping which could contribute to ill health at a younger age.
Other features that event-goers can look forward to include: nail painting; massage; spinning, demonstrations of nursing procedures; raffle prizes and surprises and a grand prize of a Cayman Airways voucher (you must visit 10 booths to qualify for entry into the grand prize). Refreshments will also be provided.
People interested in signing on to the nursing programme will be welcome at the event and it is hoped that more men will consider a career in nursing. Ms Brown said traditionally there had been a stigma associated with the profession years gone by when it was only women who were nurses, but that myth was long gone and there were plenty of males who were nurses now. People interested in signing up to other courses at UCCI are also welcome to attend and leave their details.
Ms Johnson-Shirley said nursing was a fantastic profession to be in and gave people the chance to travel as nursing was needed everywhere in the world and was a truly global profession.
The organisers hope the fair will become a regular annual event.
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