Health and wellness is a priority for the University of Idaho, which is why Vandal Health Education and Campus Recreation put together a Health and Rec Fair each school year.
The 2017 Annual Health and Rec Fair will be held 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Student Rec Center (SRC). In a collaborative effort between Vandal Health Education and Campus Recreation, the fair is set to include various health vendors from campus and the community that students, staff and faculty have access to at UI.
Emily Tuschhoff, director of health promotion at Vandal Health Education, said the fair will include access to CPR demonstrations, vision screenings, blood pressure screenings, 5-minute fitness tests, complimentary chair massages and various other health and recreation related activities.
The fair will also allow attendees to speak with experts about dental resources, diabetes education and ergonomic education. The SRC will also open up the climbing center at the event to all attendees for free.
“We put it (the Health and Rec Fair) on as a way to promote health across campus,” Tuschhoff said. “It’s a way for people to get connected to the resources and help build that connection to the health and wellness units.”
Tuschhoff said flu shots will be free to all UI students with their Vandal Cards at the fair. Walgreens will also administer flu shots to staff, faculty and community members. These are not free of charge, Tuschhoff said, and anyone who is not a UI student should bring their insurance information, as well as a valid photo ID with them if they wish to receive a shot.
Tuschhoff noted this year’s event will include over 50 health, wellness and recreation vendors from campus and the community that intend to share more information about their services by doing demonstrations, screenings and mental health check-ins. There will also be some information regarding safety.
“We really love the involvement from our campus partners such as the Counseling and Testing Center, the violence prevention programs and anyone else who does anything health and wellness related,” Tuschhoff said. “I love that people have really rallied around this.”
Planning for the fair begins almost immediately after the last fair finishes, as the team starts to receive and consider feedback, Tuschhoff said. However, more detailed and intensive planning begins anywhere from six to nine months prior to the event. According to Tuschhoff, around 1,500 people attended the 2016 Annual Health and Rec Fair.
Tuschhoff said last year’s feedback indicated people in Moscow wanted to learn more about mental health and nutrition. Tuschhoff said the team planning the event has invited more nutrition vendors and the counseling center will be providing mental health check-ins.
Tuschhoff said this year’s signature sponsors for the event are CVS Health, Delta Dental and Gritman Medical Center.
Elizabeth Marshall can be reached at [email protected]