Alexis Anderson
Staff Writer
Hundreds of students took advantage of free health screenings, insurance information, personal wellness tips and giveaways at the Health and Wellness Hotspot on Wednesday. Instead of the usual indoor event, Jackson State University students listened to music, enjoyed the cool sunny day and talked with health care providers on the Gibbs-Green Pedestrian Walkway.
Health and wellness advocates did glucose and high blood pressure screenings and discussed common health issues that people are faced with today, along with informing students and the Jackson community about taking steps to ensure prevention of diseases in the early stages.
Among the vendors was Humana whose representatives provided information on the Affordable Health Care Act, known as Obamacare, and helped students sign up for insurance. Other providers included St. Dominic Hospital Women’s Health Services, Central Mississippi Health Services, JSU Applied Psychological Services, Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition, the Walter Payton Recreation and Wellness Center, and Latasha Norman Center. Building Bridges was set up inside the Reddix Building performing free HIV/AIDs testing.
Healthcare providers, like Peter Gregory, Clinical Coordinator of the Central MS Health Services, wanted to come to Jackson State because he wanted to make sure students felt comfortable about their health.
“We are here to support our community. We feel like it is important for students to check their health. It is known that African Americans don’t visit the doctor regularly,” said Gregory. “Today, there are too many people who are unaware of their health. We want to make students feel like they can seek help for any issues they’re experiencing.
Dorothy Milton, a licensed agent for Humana, said: “We want to get the accurate information out to people who may be skeptical or confused about the Affordable Healthcare Act. The deadline to sign up is next Monday and we want to get as many covered as possible. For those who haven’t signed up for the healthcare act will face a penalty of $95 on their taxes next year. The cost of the penalty increases every year and we want to avoid that from happening. Everyone can qualify for (health insurance), it will be base on your salary and household income. They should visit healthcare.gov and do their own research to figure out what plans works for them.”
Angela Lewis, a certified mastectomy fitter for St. Dominic’s Cancer Boutique, decided to come to JSU to encouraging young ladies to do self-breast exams regularly.
“My colleague and I want to tell college girls that it is vital to perform self-breast exams every month. There are findings that women are getting diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age,” said Lewis. “My job is to make bras for those women who may have had their breast removed due to cancer. I want to make women feel confident about themselves, no matter the circumstances.”
Jackie Martin, a nurse in the JSU Health Services Center and coordinator of the event, said this year organizers decided to bring the health providers to the students. “We had good attendance,” Martin said, “with more than 300 students coming by to get information.”
The popular location apparently was a good idea because some JSU students felt the health and wellness hotspot was a successful initiative that increased student interest and participation.
Jazmine Walton, a freshman biology major from Jackson, Miss., said she thought the ideal was different from what JSU has done in the past.
“I believe JSU did a great job of having this fair on the plaza, where students could easily walk by and notice the engagement on the plaza. It was creative and beneficial for students to come out and get informed.”
Shay Singleton, a junior criminal justice major from Chicago, Ill., said “I think the Walter Payton “Fight Against Obesity 5K Walk/Run is a great ideal for both the students and the Jackson community to get interactive with each other. It can help you get active while communicating with your peers.”
Charence Higgins, a sophomore psychology/theatre major from Madison, Miss., thinks it’s vital for women to be educated.
“Women’s health is very important. I’m happy to see JSU getting the student body involved in something so profound.”
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