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Increasing health care awareness
UB medical students organize community health fair
By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer
UB medical students will host a health fair for the general public later this month in an effort to nurture contact between students and local residents, as well as increase area awareness about a wide range of health issues of concern to the Buffalo community.
The health fair, sponsored by the UB chapter of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), will be held from noon to 4 p.m. March 18 in the Buffalo Museum of Science.
Although the health fair has become recognized as an annual tradition of the SNMA at UB—the local chapter of the nation's oldest and largest independent, student-run organization focused on medical students in underrepresented minorities—organizers point out that this is the first year the local program also has been designated as the regional health fair for SNMA Region IX, which includes chapters at medical schools throughout New York State and New Jersey.
"Every year every region has a health fair," says Tamara Thomas, co-president of the SNMA chapter at UB. "This year, UB is honored to be the place where the regional health fair will be held.
"I think it's critical for students who are developing professionally as doctors or dentists or nurses to understand the importance of serving the community in which they live," Thomas adds. "This is a perfect opportunity for them to be involved and really give back to the community."
Surbhi Bansal, a second-year medical student in charge of organizing this year's event, says regional sponsorship helps the health fair achieve its mission because additional assistance means a larger event can be held than in previous years.
"Our goal," she says, "is to let the students be more out there in the community, get to know the community, and also let the community know about the involvement of students."
Information booths on a wide range of topics—from cancer to dental caries—are planned, adds Bansal, as well as those that will focus on broader topics that dominate the health care landscape in Buffalo, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, weight control and obesity.
"The incidence of diabetes and obesity in Western New York is huge," notes Thomas, pointing out that nearly every year the area is included among the top 10 communities targeted by the American Diabetes Association.
Regular contributors to past SNMA-sponsored health fairs include on-campus groups and local organizations, such as the School of Dental Medicine, the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, Kaleida Health and the Lighthouse Free Medical Clinic, a program run by UB medical students in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Buffalo.
Free blood pressure screenings, nutrition information and opportunities to meet representatives from Buffalo Free Clinic Services and local medical insurance companies also are on tap. In addition, organizers plan to provide activities for children on the human body and cell cycle—not to mention a selection of free and nutritious snacks for participants of all ages.
"Everyone can get something out of this health fair," Thomas says, adding that all individuals—from adults and adolescents concerned about their health to parents who want to teach their children to exercise and eat right—are encouraged to attend.
Lynn Yen, a second-year medical student who performed blood pressure screenings and operated a booth at the 2006 health fair, says that the event provided a casual environment in which people felt comfortable enough to open up and ask questions about their personal health situations.
"It was a good setting to talk about all sorts of things," she says. "It's a little bit of a friendlier environment—not an office where I'm wearing a white coat. I'm just another person. They can ask me questions that they might not want to ask their doctor, for whatever reason."
She points out organizers set up last year's health fair at a neighborhood church on the East Side of Buffalo in an effort to target populations that had limited access to health care information. This year's location at a prominent site, notes Bansal, aims to attract greater numbers of people from throughout the entire Buffalo community.
"We wanted to make it accessible to the general public," she says. "The first thing that came to mind was the Buffalo Museum of Science."
"Traditionally," Thomas explains, "the minority community is where there is a lack of access to health care awareness. Those are the people we're aiming the health fair at—as well as the general population—because everyone at times can be accused of letting their health go by the wayside."
Admission to the UB-SNMA health fair is free with admission or membership to the Buffalo Museum of Science. Admission prices are $7 for adults and $5 for children. Discounts are available for seniors or students with ID.