Office of Service-Learning partners with students to organize Health & Wellness Fair
The CUIMC Office of Service-Learning (OSL) collaborated with the Columbia-Harlem Homeless Medical Partnership (CHHMP) and the P&S Class of 2018 to organize a Health and Wellness Fair, and a clothing drive, to benefit the Fort Washington Men’s Shelter located on West 168th Street. The Fair took place on Friday, May 11th and brought together more than 40 students from the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Mailman School of Public Health, and the College of Dental Medicine. Participating student organizations and clinics included the Columbia University Harm Reduction Clinic (CUHR), Columbia Student Medical Outreach Program (CoSMO), Q-Clinic, P&S Human Rights Initiative and Asylum Clinic, Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO), Occupational Therapy, and Gold Humanism Society (GHHS).
The Health and Wellness Fair offered a number of clinic-run and student-run stations to the 200 men who live at the shelter. The stations covered a wide variety of topics including heart health, oral health, BMI screening, STI education, blood glucose screening, immigration rights, occupational therapy, overdose education, nutrition, and meditation.
The CUIMC Office of Service-Learning facilitated a preparation session prior to the event in which Dr. Anne Armstrong-Coben, Director of the office, talked about the mission of the office and presented an overview of service-learning. During the preparation session, a representative from the Fort Washington Men’s Shelter also spoke to participating students about the work of the shelter as well as security procedures.
The Health and Wellness Fair was a great success since it was not only informative and interactive for the shelter’s residents but it also allowed CUIMC students to share their knowledge and give back to our neighboring community. Below are a few quotes about the Fair shared by participating students:
“It made me so glad to connect with this group of people who live so close but with whom we almost never interact. It reinforced my commitment to learning about the communities around me.”
“I think those types of events are very meaningful. I would especially like to see more students participating. I think that talking face to face with people can really start to break personal bias and stigmas.”
“I learned about the careers and interests that many of the residents have had. Several residents were very interested in steps they could take to improve their health.”