A large crowd of hundreds of people gathered at the historic Second Baptist Church in Santa Ana on April 7 for a free health fair organized by UCI Health’s Interprofessional Education & Practice Collaborative. The event, which is hoped to become an annual occurrence, provided health screenings, nutrition counseling, educational booths, and resources to the community.
The health fair was the brainchild of Nana Entsuah-Boateng, a UC Irvine assistant professor of clinical pharmacy practice, and Stephanie Au, an assistant clinical professor of nursing. A team of 55 UCI Health members from various fields such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health volunteered at the event. According to Entsuah-Boateng, recruiting volunteers was seamless as the sign-up sheet filled up quickly.
The primary objectives of the health fair were to assist disadvantaged and at-risk residents in improving their health by connecting them with free resources and to expose UCI Health students to charitable work. The event achieved both goals successfully, with positive feedback from participants and organizers. Overall, the fair was deemed a major success in promoting health and community involvement.