UHS Health Fair Attracts Crowd

Students turned out in droves yesterday to the fifth annual health-awareness fair sponsored by University Health Services (UHS) yesterday, packing into a white tent in front of the Science Center to get their blood pressure checked, munch on dried fruit, and snatch up free bottle-openers.

Twenty-four booths offered everything from on-the-spot health services, such as general physicals and mental health clinics, to pamphlets on responsible drinking and drug abuse to free goodies like stress balls and water bottles.

“You can find out some things that you’re otherwise too lazy to find out...like your blood pressure and bone density,” Nicolae Done ’09 said. “Like I didn’t even know you could get your bone density so easily.”

Other health services provided included acupuncture, facial skin tests, and eye exams.

While UHS hosted many of the booths, other organizations—including the Harvard University Police Department and United Ministry—tabled as well.

UHS Director David S. Rosenthal ’59 said the fair was a major part of UHS’ outreach initiatives.

The event is an opportunity “to let people know what we’re about and to give them an opportunity to see our services,” said UHS Patient Advocate and Manager of Patient Relations Linda Cannon, who coordinated the fair. “There are clinicians and nurses here who are here to help.”

While some students came for the information and services offered at the fair, others said they turned out for the loot.

“I came here for the free stuff,” Burton H. Shen ’09 said.

Almost every table gave away goods consistent with the theme of the booth. Where the dental health booth offered toothbrushes, the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Services handed out bottle openers.

At the Center for Wellness table, students could play the “Target Wellness” game, answering True or False questions that came from one of five general health categories.

The Center for Wellness also hired masseuses who offered backrubs to stressed Harvard students.