By Randee May, Staff Writer
Armstrong kicked off a Health and Wellness Fair upstairs in the Student Union Ballroom on Oct. 1.
With several tables spread around the room, the amount of information to be consumed was endless. From Horsin’ Around to Whole Foods, there was something for everyone.
Evan Bass and his friend were heading towards the Brighter Day’s table when they paused to give some insight on the tables they had visited. “We did the body fat percentage. It didn’t work so well,” Bass said with a smirk. “It said my friend was leaner than me.”
Brighter Day was one of the tables closest to the entrance. Aimee Schmidt spoke of the business, “We’re a natural organic grocery store. We sell items like Chia Chips, Essential Oils for Aromatherapy, flavored almonds, and supplements for memory, joints, and memory.”
Schmidt’s partner, Karen Collins, was just as enthusiastic about helping to spread the word. “We’re your one stop shop for healthy food: Pioneers in the natural food industry,” Collins said.
Memorial Health dominated the room with several branches. Three of their branches were the Children’s Hospital, Smoking Cessation, and Armstrong’s Student Health Center.
Rena Turner, who manned the Smoking Cessation, spoke openly about the dangers of smoking with a rather vivid display of actual lungs. “My job is to help people stop smoking if they’ve thought about quitting. I can’t help you if you don’t want to quit. We talk about cardiovascular risks and smoking is the number one cause, next to family history, diabetes, excess weight, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure,” Turner said. “Most use smoking as a way to relieve stress, because nicotine triggers dopamine. They know the risk, but they turn their ears off when you start talking about it. That’s why we don’t go to them; we let them come to us.”
Right next to the Smoking Cessation table was our very own Student Health Center.
Tammy Medlin, a family nurse practitioner, sat behind the table ready to explain the services offered to Armstrong students. “Most of our services are $10, but some are a bit pricier. We offer physicals, HIV Testing, Immunizations, STD Testing and Treatment, and Pap smears,” Medlin said. “We’re also giving flu shots for $25.” They also offer free condoms, don’t require insurance for services, and write prescriptions for birth control.
Other tables included Horsin’ Around, which teaches disabled children and adults how to ride horses. “Each ride is specifically designed for each child and adult. We are volunteer based and only twenty minutes from Armstrong. Our Psychical Director is actually a graduate of Armstrong,” Jill Stanberry stated.
While demonstrations and information distribution may have been a majority of the actions taking place, there were other tables giving psychical exams, like the Georgia Skin and Cancer Clinic. The table was offering checks for possible skin cancer. Marty Murray stated, “Melanoma is the most dangerous type and anyone can get it.”
Other tables consisted of GNC, Alcoholics Anonymous, Wells Fargo, Nami-Savannah, the Armstrong Police Department, and Therapy Dogs.
