Goodies, Info at UHS Fair

Though pizza and candy are commonly given out at Harvard events, rare are the opportunities to find free, healthy alternatives.

At yesterday’s Harvest of Health, the annual Harvard University Health Services fair, students gained access to UHS’ many services, leaving the tent loaded with bags full of healthy goodies.

Linda C. Cannon, a patient advocate who has coordinated the fair for the last three years, estimated that approximately 2,000 students passed through the white tent outside the Science Center, a number comparable to previous years.

“Our objective is to spread awareness of the many services that we offer,” said Cannon, calling the fair a “snapshot” of the University’s many health programs.

A variety of booths were present, including Mental Health Services, Nutrition, and Environmental Health and Safety. Other organizations indirectly related to health were also in attendance, such as the Harvard Chaplains and the Harvard University Police Department.

But while the fair may have been geared for educational purposes, the most popular attractions were often its free goodies and snacks.

Caroline B. Lowe ’12 commended the nutritional foods offered, which included fresh fruits.

“It’s great that no one gave out candy,” she said.

Other students were more attracted to the free health checkups and the massage tables on-site.

“The massage was definitely the highlight!” said Wennie Lin, a student at the School of Public Health, who added she wished the fair had been better publicized. “I only found out today because a friend told me at the last minute.”

Cannon said that UHS posted bulletins at every school and publicized the event on their Web site, but she recognized that they could “probably do better in terms of advertising.”

“Every year we make notes so that next year’s fair can be even more successful,” she said.

The fair seems to have been a success, but Cannon emphasized the work that goes into planning it.

“Organizing a successful fair takes more time than people realize,” Cannon said. “We try to utilize resources as efficiently as we can. Much thought goes into pulling it off.”

She cited predicting the optimal number of flyers to print and synchronizing all the health services together as examples of the careful planning.

“It’s very nice of the staff to take time out of their schedule to talk to the students and faculty,” she said.