UFV has the perfect location, and just the right people, to help improve the health of downtown residents.
And on Nov. 24, they’ll be throwing open the doors to their Five Corners location for a three hour health and wellness fair. It will be hosted by the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences, along with public health nurses from Fraser Health, and nurses from STOP HIV/AIDS.
It will include a flu clinic, blood pressure measurements, information on chronic pain, as well as STD and STI initiatives. It’s also a chance for residents to get out and see what the UFV nursing students are learning, win some raffle prizes, and enjoy refreshments.
“It’s for all ages,” says Sheila Edwards, an associate professor for the fourth year of UFV’s BSN program. “We hope to have parents and children come out, as well as older people and all across the age span, to get a dialogue going about what the needs are of people who live down there, and what we can do as a faculty in the community.”
This event is an offshoot of a similar event held at the Five Corners location back in March. There, they held a needs assessment, asking people to put stickers on the subjects they’d like to learn more about.
Edwards says the location is a perfect place to host these community health fairs. While they give the residents an opportunity to learn about and improve their health, they are also giving invaluable experience to their students – many of whom will go on to be community health nurses.
“We’re really happy we have this small campus now that happens to be in the downtown core,” Edwards says. “This is our second event and we’re hoping to have more events, just because it’s such a great location.”