Health Fair a Hit at CCSF
The Guardsman
Annelie Chavez
A community health and wellness fair focusing on holistic and alternative approaches to healthy living was hosted by City College Student Health on April 18 in the Multi-use building.
“The focus of the fair was to get students and community members exposed to services so they can access these things themselves,” said nurse practitioner and fair coordinator Edna Yee.
Over a dozen participating organizations donated their time and expertise to the cause of holistic health. Yee credits the enthusiasm of participants and volunteers as the driving force for the event which had an estimated 400 attendees.
Community members crowded the National Holistic Institute table to sign up for a free massage. And the American College of Traditional Medicine introduced willing participants to community style acupuncture. Some participants had needles sticking out of their ears.
There were yoga and cooking demonstrations, too.
“The yoga demonstration was so much fun. I’ve never been to a yoga class before because it’s so expensive,” said City College student Alex Tom.
The fair was co-planned with NICOS Chinese Health Coalition, a public-private community partnership of health and human service organizations. The coalition’s mission is to enhance the health and well-being of the San Francisco Chinese community, according to their website.
The executive director of NICOS, Kent Woo, said he and Yee decided to work together to create the event.
First-year City College student Victoria Rios said she feels that most health services are readily available to students but she would also like to see vision, dental and routine check-ups offered on campus.
Sunny Clark, Associate Dean of Student Health Services, said the services offered by the Student Health Center can be found online at the Student Health Services website.
The health fair was partially funded by the Student Health budget, as well as with grants, but organizations provided their own equipment and volunteers, Yee said.
